Ash and Dawn : The Unova Chapter
by Tzhaa
Summary: Dawn has parted ways with Ash and Brock, but with feelings left unsaid, how will it effect their next journey? With Ash's Aura awakening, and an apocalyptic disaster about to befall the Unova Region, they find themselves in the center of it all, and it will change their lives forever... Pearlshipping! Rated M for adult themes.
1. Parting Ways

**This is my first fanfic, so I hope you all enjoy it.**

**It will be a Pearlshipping fic so if you don't like that don't read it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Ash: 16**

**Dawn : 15**

**Brock : 20**

**I want to add this little note for any potential new readers to my story. The grammar and writing in the earlier chapters is far inferior to my current work, in time it will probably be beneficial for me to go back and revise and rewrite them, however I just don't feel the motivation to do that right now. If I can ask one thing its this - please try not to be put off by it, if you stick around until the latter half of this story, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Thanks /Tzhaa**

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**Ash and Dawn: The Unova Chapter**

**Chapter 1 / Prologue  
**

**Parting Ways**

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Dawn sat on the harbor with puffy red eyes after crying for almost two hours, the sun was starting to set and everyone else had already left, leaving the blue haired coordinator alone with her sorrow.

She finally looked down to her side to see an equally tear-stained but concerned face looking at her, not even bothering to try to hide the emotions within she simply sighed, "I can't believe he's really gone Piplup, I knew this day was coming but now it's here it just doesn't feel real, and I never even told him how I felt...".

"Piplup..." sighed the small penguin Pokemon at her side, he too had not been looking forward to this moment and had tried to delay or prevent it for much of the previous day, he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing his friends again, especially Pikachu, the two of them where almost like brothers. However he knew that Dawn was hurting a whole lot more, since she finally released she loved a certain ebony haired boy who had just left.

Dawn looked back out across the ocean where the boat had disappeared over the horizon, wishing that it would somehow come back and they'd all be together again but it never did. She thought back two hours ago when she last saw her friends and the love of her life...

**Flashback**

_Ash, Dawn and Brock all solemnly walked towards the harbor, none of them thrilled about saying goodbye. They had spent the last 2 years traveling together throughout Sinnoh and had experienced some amazing things, things most people only dream about or could think of in their wildest of fantasies._

_Dawn was walking behind the group dragging her feet, she had been dreading this moment all day for more than one reason. Yes she was really upset that her traveling with Ash and Brock was over, but she'd come to realize that she had fallen in love with the raven haired trainer in front of her but hadn't found the courage to tell him, and now he was leaving and would probably never know... It made her chest hurt every time she thought about it._

_After the small walk from Dawn's house in Twinleaf Town, they finally arrived at the docks and the moment none of them wanted to face was finally upon them. "K... We're here" Ash started finally looking back at Dawn._

_"Ash... Brock... one thing, thank you so much..." Dawn said trying to putting on a brave face and fighting back tears._

_"No, thank you" Ash replied giving her the smile she'd come to love so much._

_"Yeah, thank you" Brock added smiling warmly at her._

_They all stared at one another, none of them knowing what to say next. Dawn's gaze wandered over to Ash's, she looked deep into his auburn eyes as he stared into her sapphire blue ones. Unspoken words passed between them and they could see the sorrow and longing in the other._

_"Go... or you'll be late" Dawn finally said breaking her eye contact with Ash and looking at her two closest friends, stamping this moment into her memory._

_"Right..." Ash sounded as sad as she felt._

_"So..." Brock sighed before walking towards to the ship with Ash._

_"Pikaka" Pikachu spoke softly as they walked off._

_"Wait a minute!" Dawn shouted after them._

_"Huh, whats up?" asked Ash with a confused look on his face._

_Dawn smiled softly and raised her hand into the air. Ash's face lit up upon recognizing what she wanted, dropped his bags and ran over to her and slapped his hand on her's performing their high-five for the final time. They left their hands together and looked at each other lost in the others eyes. Brock smiled at the two, knowing what they didn't already but kept it too himself._

_Pikachu and Piplup imitated their trainer's actions and gave a high-five as well, although without the lingering romantic actions._

_After a couple of minutes they reluctantly separated and blushed slightly, realizing their intimate moment was viewed by their best friend and probably quite a few passersby. Ash and Brock finally turned around and walked up the ramp onto the boat which would take them back to Kanto and out of her life._

_No longer in view of her friends, Dawn's brave facade slowly started to break and the tears that had been threatening to fall all day finally broke through. She hung her head as she started to think about all the times they had spent together and how it was all over. Most of all she thought of Ash, how she felt about him and how now he would probably never even know. 'I'm so stupid for not saying anything' she mentally chastised herself._

_Tears where running down her face when Ash and Brock got to the back of the boat and looked down at her seeing her, head hung low and sobbing. "Dawn!"_

_She looked up surprised to see Ash hanging over the edge of the railings smiling and waving at her._

_"No need to worry!" She couldn't help but laugh at her use of the catchphrase, even at a time like this he knew how to make her feel better._

_She started running after the boat as it slowly exited the harbor, "You guys take good care!"._

_"Pip Pip Pip Pipluuuup" Piplup chirped beside her as they finally reached the end of the walkway._

_"Ash, Pikachu, Brock, thanks for everything!"_

_"Piipluuuup, Piipluuup!"_

_Both Dawn and Piplup had tears forming in their eyes as the waving forms of Ash and Brock slowly started to get smaller and smaller. Dawn kept waving until the boat was out of sight, and when it finally was she sank too her knees, her facade finally completely shattered. Piplup put his flipper on her leg in a reassuring gesture as she let out all the grief she held in, tears streaming down her face and running onto the concrete. She was vaguely aware of people giving her looks as she sat their sobbing her eyes out, but she didn't care, all she wanted was to be with Ash and Brock again... to be with Ash again..._

**Flashback End**

She opened her eyes as the fresh memory faded, still not wanting to accept that it was real. The sun had set now and it was starting to get cold, so she finally forced herself to stand on shaking legs and started a slow walk back to her home.

Piplup looked up at his trainer, he'd never seen her this broken before, not when she was on a losing streak in contests, not when Ursula used Plusle and Minun to embarrass her on a live contest stage, he couldn't think of any time he'd seen her this... depressed. He kept up with her but stayed silent knowing she needed some time to think and get over it but he couldn't help but keep shooting her worried glances.

After an hours walks the duo finally made it back to Twinleaf Town and Dawn's home. As soon as they entered they were greeted by a worried Johanna. "Dawn dear its been 4 hours since you left, I was getting worried! The boat departed 3 hours ago! Where have you been?"

Johanna looked at her daughter and could see something was really wrong, Dawn's normally chirpy and happy demeanor was gone and replaced with sadness and depression.

"Dawn whats wrong, what happened?" She asked starting to get really worried.

"I don't want to talk about it" Dawn said in a quite and low tone, before her mother could protest Dawn slung off her boots and ran upstairs crying once again.

"Pipluup" sighed Dawn's starter as he looked up the stairs where his trainer had gone.

Johanna looked at the stairs then down at Piplup with concern, she had a feeling what this was about but she wasn't certain. She thought she saw Ash and her daughter give each other some curious looks and signals when they where here just before they left and they seemed rather close... If it was that, it would explain Dawn's mood and she decided to go have a talk with her, after all she couldn't leave her alone in a state like that.

When she reached her daughter's room she could hear the sobbing from within and slowly opened the door, Dawn was curled up on her bed with her head buried in her pillow, which was already wet with tears. She slowly walked over to her bed and sat down and gently began to stroke Dawn's hair.

Dawn turned her head from the pillow and sat up before embracing her mother in a hug, needing the comfort and reassurance only her mother could give her. She held her tight sobbing into her arms.

"Dawn sweetie, can you tell me whats wrong?" Dawn nodded and slowly dried her puffy red eyes with the back of her hand.

"Mom... H-he's g-gone..." she managed to get out in between sobs.

Johanna decided to see if her earlier suspicions where true. "Who do you mean sweetie? Is it Ash?".

"Y-yeah, hurts so much to see h-him leave, Mom... I-I... I lo..." Dawn then began another sobbing fit and fell into her mothers arms.

Johanna thought this was the case and had her suspicions confirmed by her daughter's half confession. "Oh Dawn, it'll be ok".

"But what if I never see him again! I never even got to tell him how I felt!" She stopped to breathe in between her sobs, "It hurts so much..."

The older bluenette sighed and pulled her daughter into another hug slowly stroking her hair to calm her down, she should have realized Dawn was in love with Ash and when they had to part ways this would probably of happened, but what could she do? Ash had to go back to Kanto at some point, the only solution would be that Dawn go with him but with the unfortunately timed Pokemon fashion job offer that wouldn't be an option either. They stayed there like that for several minutes, when she finally heard Dawn stop crying she looked down to see that she had fallen asleep, so she gently lifted her head up and rested her down onto the bed, before pulling the covers over her and letting her sleep. Johanna sighed and left the room wondering just what Dawn was going to do and worried about her daughters emotional well-being.

Dawn was dreaming, she and Ash where traveling together again through an unknown region alone, they where happy, they where together and they both loved each other. A smile crossed her face, the first genuine one since their walk to harbour.

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**Next Chapter: Feelings and Unova**

**The next chapter will focus a lot more on Ash and will help set things up for where I want to go**

**I personally think this is rather short but it's just the opening chapter so I'm satisfied.**

**Hope you enjoyed it and ill be adding the second chapter fairly soon and update as regularly as possible!**

**Peace out.**


	2. Feelings and Unova

**Hello everyone, since my first chapter wasnt long enough in my opinion , ive decided to get on with the second chapter straight away, also ive updated the first one and corrected a few spelling mistakes that were bugging me.**

**This second chapter takes place in a similar time frame to the first one just from Ash's perspective and both perspectives will merge slightly later in this chapter.**

**Enjoy chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2 : Feelings and Unova**

Ash stayed on the back of the boat staring at the still shrinking figure that was Dawn. He didn't know why it hurt this bad to leave her, but it did, his heart felt like it was twisting in knots and he had a strong urge to just jump off to boat, swim back to Sinnoh, and _hug_ Dawn.

He'd never felt this way before, so why now? It hurt when he left Misty, but not this much and not in the same way, and it hurt when he left May and Max but again not in the same way. Why was it different this time? Why couldn't he bear the thought of leaving her? What made Dawn so different?

Dawn.

She seemed to be taking up a lot of thoughts lately, more so than usual, and when he was around her he couldn't help but feel _complete_, if that makes sense.

He slowly began going over their journey together in his mind to try to figure out his thoughts, all the times they'd spent together, all the things they have been through and seen, all the times she was there cheering for him with her unshakable faith that he'd pull through, all the times she'd cheered him up when everything seemed lost. It brought to mind the time he lost to Paul in his first major six on six battle with him and felt nothing but despair, only to find out Dawn had spent an entire day making a contest show just for him to make him feel better. Certainly no one else had done that for him before, neither had anyone else wore a cheerleading outfit for him.

Was that it? Was it because she did more? _Was more?_

He quickly shook his head wondering where that last thought came from, and thought about how he himself interacted with the bluenette.

He certainly really hated seeing her feel bad, but he didn't like any of his friends feeling bad. He'd do anything he could to see her happy and well, but again he'd do that for any of his friends or Pokemon. He'd put her well-being and happiness before his own but yet again he'd do that for his friends and Pokemon too. He'd sometimes catch himself staring at her, admiring the colour of her Sapphire eyes, the rich navy colour of her hair and the soft white skin covering her body. Now that was something he hadn't done to anyone else. Was he feeling this way because he liked to look at her? Why _did_ he like to look at her?

He thought back to all the times he watched her in a contest, again something he never did for May since he thought back then that he could just watch her on the screen and still get some quality training time in and it'd still all be fine, but with Dawn he had to be in the stadium rooting for her not half paying attention to her performance while training. Was it because he felt he owed it to her for all the times she gave him such amazing support in the Gym battles? But when he would watch her perform he genuinely wanted to be there for her, not because he felt he owed her anything, he wanted to see her succeed, to reassure her when her doubts where up and to celebrate with her when she won.

He remembered all the high fives they shared throughout their travels, and how they seemed to somehow linger longer and longer, and how began to cherish and look forward to them to feel her hand pressed again his own.

He thought about the incident at Alamos Town and their accent to the music room at the top of the Space Time Towers, when the hot air balloon they where riding up in got a glancing blow from the struggle between Dialga and Palkia, and the side of the basket was ripped away causing Dawn to fall, he'd grabbed her hand and wanted more than anything to pull her back in to safety, but when the balloon rocked from a nearby explosion and their grips gave way, his heart stopped, time seemed to literally stop and he could only look on in horror at her terrified face as it fell to the ground below, without a second thought he'd jumped after her, even though his mind would never allow him to do such a thing normally, his heart made the 150ft drop seem non existant as long as he could reach her. They both luckily landed on a part of the Tower and Dawn returned the favour from earlier as she caught Ash's hand as he lost his footing and nearly fell. As she pulled him up, they didn't let go of each other both her hands clasped around his and a look of utter relief and joy on her face at his well-being, he remembered simply smiling while looking deep into her beautiful sapphire eyes and seeing the swirling emotions within. When they both let go he felt his cheeks heat up and could have sworn he saw her face go red but didn't really have the chance to think on it at the time.

Looking back he realised they shared three more moments like this.

After she had competed in the Grand Festival and come in second place to her friend and rival Zoey, Ash had been more than thrilled with her, second place in her first ever Grand Festival! As they met up with her after the performance the first thing that came to his mind was to give her a hug, it just felt like the right thing to do. She'd been slightly surprised but returned the hug gladly and they had embraced each other oblivious to the looks they where getting. With his face buried in the crook of her neck he couldn't help but smell her hair and getting the smell of her fruity shampoo along with her own natural scent, he couldn't help but think nothing smelt better. They finally separated when Brock cleared his throat and most people where looking with raised eyebrows, Ash and Dawn visibly blushed and quickly went back to the subject of congratulating Dawn for her efforts and Zoey for her win.

He'd just lost to Tobias in the Sinnoh League semi-final and was pretty pleased with himself, he'd never reached the semi-finals before and it took someone with legendary Pokemon to knock him out, he also managed to take down his Darkrai and Latios when everyone else, even the finalist couldn't even get past Darkrai. He wondered why this league he'd managed to get further than before, he didn't think he'd trained that much harder than his previous journeys, since he always gives it 100% no matter what. Was he more experienced now? Yes but that alone didn't seem to be the whole picture. Moral support. Dawn. Again his thoughts drifted to her and all the cheering she'd done during his match, sure others had cheered, Barry, Brock and Piplup, but hers seemed to stand out from the rest just like always. She seemed to give it more passion, seemed to believe more. He was hoping she wasnt disappointed with him for not winning. His fears and other thoughts were put on hold as he reached his friends in the hallway behind the stands, Dawn immediately spotted him and came running over, then she jumped on him giving him a hug. "Congratulations on getting the semi-final Ash! If it wasnt for Mr Legendary you would have won the whole thing I know it!" She looked up at him and gave him a smile that wiped away all his fears and doubts and made his heart beat faster, he couldn't even find a response and reluctantly let her go as his friends crowded round to congratulate him.

The last time he'd remember her like that with him was as they where parting ways and the last drawn out high-five they shared, and the longing looks they gave each other as they lost themselves in their eyes, auburn dancing with sapphire.

Ash screwed his face up in confusion, he didn't know what to make of it, he'd had no experience with this before and couldn't relate, all he knew was he didn't want to leave Dawn, something within his chest was yelling at him to go back to her and to hold her close.

Brock was watching his friend with rapt amusement, he could tell from the look on Ash's face that he was deep in thought and very confused. He knew what about. He'd been hard pressed to not point it out during their travels but always kept himself from interfering but he knew, Ash and Dawn had been falling in love with each other from the moment they met, it started out with curious looks and slight signals that neither of them where even aware of, and turned into longing hugs and high fives, ogling from across a table or during a Gym Battle, even sitting close to each other whenever possible. It was cute. It was also frustrating to him since neither of them seemed to realise what they where feeling and he knew they would only realise too late, Dawn might not admit it, but at times she was just as dense as Ash when it came to love. Sure she knew what it was and when it came to watching others she could easily see it, but when it involved her she became just as dense as Ash. Brock sighed and decided to finally give his friend some helpful pointers, since it was starting to really bother him now she was gone.

"Something on your mind, Ash?"

Ash jumped with a start, completely forgetting Brock was even there, he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Uh, yeah I guess. I'm not really sure whats wrong, I just have this aching feeling in my chest".

"So when did this all start?" Brock asked his friend with a smile.

"Uh when we were leaving Sinnoh, especially after we left Dawn, and for some reason I can't stop thinking about her, is there something wrong with me?" Ash turned and looked at his friend for answers.

"There's nothing wrong with you Ash" Brock chuckled "You just might be a little sick".

"Sick? I don't feel sick" Ash answered honestly.

"Not that kind of sick, I think you might be _love-sick_"

"Love sick? How do you mean?" Ash if anything looked more confused and Brock mentally sighed, although he couldn't blame the younger boy since Ash has never been educated in these matters and had very little experience to go on.

"Let me rephrase, what do you think of Dawn?".

"Uh what? What does Dawn have to do with any of this?".

"Just about everything" Brock sighed and looked at his long time friend, "Just tell me what comes to mind when you think of her".

Ash did as instructed and thought about the bluenette, " She makes me happy, I feel more confident around her, I get lost in her eyes at times and cant help but admire their beauty, her smile could light up a room and when we embrace my heart beats twice as fast". Ash smiled thinking about everything he liked about her, "I feel like I'd do just about anything for her, to make her happy like she makes me, and there is something else, something else I feel about her that I just don't know how to explain".

"The feeling you can't explain is love Ash, you're in love with Dawn, and being away from her hurts, that's why your feeling like you are".

Ash's face went a deep red at Brock's words and he just stood there stuttering a half-hearted denial " I-I d-d-do not l-l-ove D-Dawn".

"Really? Because the way you described her and the way your face is going redder than a tomato berry says otherwise". Brock laughed slightly at Ash's reaction.

Ash felt his entire body heat up and could find no words would come out of his mouth, he just pulled his cap down over his face and hoped no one else was looking, '_So that's what this feeling is?'_ He mused to himself '_Is this what love feels like? Am I in love with Dawn?'_.

After a couple of minutes Ash recomposed himself and sighed, looking wistfully in the direction of Sinnoh and Brock could only feel sympathy for the young trainer '_He's just got a taste of love and has to leave behind the person he's fallen for'_.

"Hey Ash how about we go get something to eat, help take your mind off things and it is nearly lunch time".

Ash's face lightened up at the thought of food and he actually seemed to forget about his troubles somewhat, at least for now "Yeah im starving! Wanna get some food Pikachu?".

"Pika pika!" His companion of 6 years spoke up and ran over from the telescope he'd playing around with to hop up onto his master's shoulder.

"Thought so, let's go!" He then raced off towards to dining area, leaving Brock chuckling slightly while trying to keep up.

"Well at least it hasn't effected his appetite". He mused as he entered the dining area to see Ash already with a plate stacked high with all different variety's of food, which he was now eating like he hadn't eaten for 5 weeks. Brock shook his head, grabbed a plate and prepared to have a relatively 'normal' dinner with his friend.

**The Next Day - Viridian Port**

After an uneventful boat ride from Sinnoh they finally arrived in Viridian Port early the next day.

"Ah it's so good to finally be back in Kanto" Ash said happily as they walked across the harbour, "Right buddy?"

"Pikapi pikachu!" Pikachu chirped happily as Ash rubbed behind his ears.

Brock was walking next to him and smiled, it was nice to see Ash acting like his old self again but he could tell it was still there, just underneath the surface, Ash was just distracting himself as much as possible to not think about it too much. Brock knew he'd have to deal with it sooner or later and hoped it would all turn out fine, he figured he'd help his friend by keeping his thoughts occupied for now, "So Ash, have you decided where your gonna go next?".

"Err, actually I havent" He replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I honestly forgot about it until you mentioned it just now, ill find a new region we havent been too before and this time we will win the league there and become the champion, right Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu fist pumped the air from his shoulder.

"So Brock, your really going to be become a Pokemon Doctor? After saying you where gonna be a Breeder this entire time its hard for me to think of you as anything else".

"Yeah I know what you mean, but after that incident on the boat it really did open my eyes, and im positive this is really what I want" Brock answered truthfully, and in his head he'd never been more sure about anything, he always knew he wanted to help Pokemon and understand them better. He'd never thought about it until Nurse Joy suggested it but it just fell right into place for him, like this is what he was always meant to do.

The pair continued their walk out of the harbour and into Viridian City, which hadn't changed much over the years, the Gym was the same from the last time they where and other than a few modern renovations it was just as they remembered it. They continued their walk out the city in relatively comfortable silence, just as they had on the many travels they've had together until finally they reached the path which would part their ways for the final time.

"I guess this is it" Ash spoke up as they reached the crossroads they had reached many a time when they came from different regions.

"Yeah..." Brock said, as they both at the signpost that has witnessed many of their previous farewells.

Ash turned to his second old travelling companion and stuck out his hand, which Brock shook. "You can do it, Pokemon Doctor Brock"

"Pokemon Master Ash, you can to", They both had smiles on their faces as they came together in a more manly handshake and said simultaneously "Yes!".

"Pikachu", Pikachu chimed happily at close bond between the best of friends.

With that they finally parted ways for the last time, although they where both sad at the fact they couldn't help but be happy with all the time they spent travelling together and knowing that no matter what, they will always be friends.

About half an hour of walking later Ash finally came into view of his home town, and he stopped to get a good look at it from the top of the hill he was stood on. "There's Pallet Town, let's go Pikachu!".

"Pika!", Pikachu replied happily from his shoulder before jumping down and running with his trainer and friend to their home.

**Twinleaf Town - Sinnoh Region, Earlier that day**

Dawn awoke reluctantly from the best dream she'd had in a while and sighed when reality hit her, Ash was gone. She buried her face into her pillow willing time to go back to the start of their journey so she could spend the next two years travelling around with him again but as much as she wished the clock refused to go backwards, frustrated she grabbed her clock from her desk next to her bed and hurled it across the room as if it was the source of her pain. The loud clank noise it made as it collided with the wall woke Piplup from his slumber at the end of her bed.

He looked up at his trainer with a groggy but annoyed expression, "Pip Piplup! Pip Pip Luuup!" He chirped as he expressed his annoyance.

"Sorry Piplup... im just really not in a good mood right now", Dawn sighed and picked up her started and brought him close in a hug.

"I wish we would have just gone with them, I don't even care about the fashion job anymore, against the heartache it just isn't worth it, what am I going to do?" She asked him sighing deeply.

"Pipluuuuup" He sighed with her, wishing he too could be in Kanto with his buddy Pikachu, he'd even settle for Gible and his Draco Meteors at this point.

"Dawn, breakfast is ready!" Her mom called from downstairs.

"Ok, mom ill be down in a second!" Her reply sounded as drained and disheartened as she felt, as she forced herself out of bed, not even caring about her bed head and walked downstairs to the kitchen and the smell of food.

Johanna was sitting at the table, with all the breakfast foods arrayed in front of her, as Dawn dragged herself through the door. She was worried for her daughter, Dawn had made no effort at all to sort out her appearance and she looked like she'd given up on everything as she slumped into a chair and slowly picked out some foods.

"Sweetie, please try to cheer up, I know you feel terrible right now but you'll see him again".

Dawn flinched at the mention of Ash, but continued to keep piling up her favourite foods, as depressed as she was, she couldn't resist a good helping of Oran Berry Pancakes.

Her mother sighed and tried to get her mind off of her worries "So are you looking forward to your Pokemon Fashion Designing job?".

But that was the wrong thing to say, Dawn eyes darkened as thoughts came into her mind '_I couldn't go with Ash because of that job, that's the reason im still here and not in Kanto, with him, the guy ive fallen in love with, experiencing some wonderful new adventure. It's all that stupid jobs fault!'_, She turned to her mother and snapped out " I don't care about that job! It's made me miserable and separated me from the only person ive ever fallen in love with!".

Johanna started at her daughter's reaction but held out the signed contract that arrived in the mail which Dawn signed yesterday "But sweetie you signed the con-".

She was cut off as Dawn, in her rage, tore the contract from her mothers grip and tore it to pieces, venting her anger, sorrow and frustration on the cause of it. "Screw the contract!" She yelled as she threw the torn pieces to the floor.

After that emotional outburst Dawn looked at the torn pieces of the contract littering the floor and fell back on her chair, tears falling down her face as all the pain and grief from yesterday came flooding back. Her mother quickly came to her side and brought her into a hug.

After some soothing Dawn calmed down and they ate their breakfast in relative silence. After around ten minutes it was becoming a little uncomfortable and Johanna decided to speak up. "So honey, what are you going to do now, since your new... job... is no longer an option". She knew she had to tread carefully but she couldn't allow her daughter to dwell on it for too long either, that would only make it worse.

Dawn sat there, still eating her pancakes, and thought about it. What was she going to do? She could always try contests in a different region, but somehow that didn't excite her in the slightest. It wouldn't be same without Ash. All she knew she wanted was him, to be with him. And then it suddenly clicked and it made her choice very clear. " I think im going to travel with Ash again". Even as she said it a smile appeared on her face, the first her mother had seen since she got home.

Johanna noticed it and smiled back, she knew it would probably come to this, and seeing Dawn's reaction, how her face lit up, it was obvious the choice was made. '_She has it bad for him'_, she couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that thought. She knew for a long time her daughter had felt something for Ash, even though she only got a confession of love out of her last night, the way she acted around him and wouldn't stop talking about him whenever they conversed on the phone made it pretty clear.

"Whatever makes you happiest dear, that's all that really counts".

"Alright its settled, im going to Kanto to see Ash!" For the first time in two days Dawn was actually motivated about something and felt energised, she quickly finished up her breakfast, thanked her mom, and ran upstairs to her room. She carefully sorted out her bed head, put on her usual outfit and packed her traveling bag with her usuals. Piplup was quite surprised by Dawn's sudden change in mood but didn't question it, he hadn't heard the conversation between her and her mother so he didn't realise that he'd be on his way to see all his friends soon.

Dawn noticed that Piplup was giving her curious glances and remembered that he didn't know the change of plans, so she decided to fill him in. "Hey Piplup, what do you say we go pay Ash and Pikachu a visit in the Kanto Region?", She asked him with a big smile on her face.

Piplup wasnt sure he'd heard her correctly, but when she didn't seem to be joking he suddenly jumped up and gave out a happy "Piplup!".

"I knew you'd feel the same!"

Dawn had everything packed and headed downstairs to say goodbye to her mother, she felt kind of bad leaving so soon and wondered if this was how Ash felt at the start of each of his journey's. "K mom im ready to go!" She chirped out as she reached the living room where Johanna was sat in one of the lounge chairs.

"Shouldnt you call and ask first before you go rushing over dear?"

Dawn gave her mother a cheeky wink "Nah, im going to surprise him!".

Johanna shook her head and walked over to her daughter giving her a big hug "I can't believe your leaving already but I know this is what you want and im happy for you, and here you'll need this". She handed Dawn an envelope with contained money for the ferry tickets.

"Thanks mom, ill make sure I call you and let you know whats happening".

"Dont worry sweetie, just make sure you look after yourself. Now go or you'll miss your ferry, and I wouldn't wait too long, knowing Ash he'll be on a new adventure as soon as he can". She said as she looked at her daughter and smiled.

Dawn giggled but nodded, and headed towards to door "You ready to go Piplip?"

"Pip Piplup" He chirped merrily from her arms, he also hadn't felt this energised since they all separated and was really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

"Alright, bye mom! Thanks for everything!" Dawn shouted as she walked out the door and then happily made her way to the harbour, feeling for the first time in two days that everything would turn out ok.

Johanna watched her daughter leave to go find the guy she loves and start another adventure with him, in a place neither of them will probably be familiar with. She sighed happily as she thought '_She's really growing up'_.

**Pallet Town - Kanto Region, Present Time**

For the first time in two years, Ash Ketchum was back in his home town. He was pleased to see that it was pretty much still the same from the last time he was here, as he took in the sights and scents of his childhood and the start of his very first journey. "Well buddy we're back!" He said as they walked down the familiar route which would lead him to his home.

"Pikachu pi pika pikapi pikachu" Pikachu spoke up softly from his shoulder, also thrilled to be back home, and cherishing the familiar sight of pallet town.

They walked for about five minutes until the sight of the Ketchum family home came into view. Ash smiled and broke into a full on run to his house, as he got near he could see the same lovingly cared for flower beds that his mother always attended too, and the familiar sight of sweeping the front pathway.

"Mime !" Ash heard as he came up to to the gate that lead to their family home. was always happy to see him when he came home from a journey.

"Hey Mimey, is mom home?"

"Mime!" He nodded his head and went back to sweeping.

Ash opened the front door and ran inside, a giddy grin on his face "Mom, im home!".

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added.

Delia came running through from the kitchen and embraced her son in a hug, and nearly crushed the life out of him. Ash was used to this treatment when he came home but it didn't make it any easier to breathe. "Mom... cant...breathe.." He managed to choke out.

Delia loosened her grip and looked down happily at her son, taking in how much he'd grown in the two years he was away, sure she saw him on the video phones but it was never the same as seeing him in person. "Oh Ash, im so happy your home, ill make your favourite dinner to celebrate!".

"Thanks mom, its great to see you too!" Ash said happily as he took off his shoes, he then handed his mother his badge case so she could frame them and put them up with the others, and ran up to his room. He was not surprised to see that nothing had changed, his mom always keeping it just as he left it.

He went over to look at all his framed awards, trophy's and badges from his journey and smiled. "Well buddy that's another adventure over, and this time we made it to the semi-finals!" he smiled fondly as Pikachu gave him a little fist bump in reply.

"Next time we're gonna win for sure! Then we can challenge the Champion's League and beat the Champion, then we'll be Pokemon Masters!".

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly.

"Why don't we head over to Professor Oaks ranch and say hi to all our friends, and introduce them all to everyone we found in Sinnoh?".

"Pikachu pika pi!" Pikachu nodded happily.

"Thought you'd agree, let's go!"

With that Ash quick ran back downstairs and slipped his shoes back on. "Mom, im just going to Professor Oaks ranch to check on my Pokemon, ill be back before dinner!"

"Ok sweetie!" He heard from the kitchen.

With that he was out the door and on his way. It took him five minutes of running to reach to ranch, and he quickly knocked on the door. A familiar face he hadn't seen in a while opened it and looked at him happily.

"Hey Ash! Didnt know you where back! You here to see your Pokemon?"

"Hey Tracey, its great to see you again, and yeah I am, im gonna introduce them to all the new additions we found in Sinnoh!". Ash replied as they walked through the all too familiar lab.

"Where's the Professor?". Ash asked as they made it to the ranch at the back where the Pokemon were kept, he could see no sign of his childhood mentor.

"Ah, he's currently sorting out tickets for his vacation, he's heading off their tomorrow and will be gone for about a week, which means ill be looking after everything while he's gone". Tracey sighed slightly at how hard that would be. It wasnt an easy task running the lab and the ranch.

"Wow, somehow its hard for me to picture the Professor taking a break, even though I did see him on vacation once, it was shortly after I started my journey with Brock and Misty, we ran into him on a beach. It amazed me then and it still amazes me now". Ash shook his head at the memory.

They walked out into the ranch and Ash caught sight of all his Pokemon, easily noticing Snorlax resting under some low hanging tree's and his massive heard of Tauros grazing nearby. Totodile was dancing in the nearby pond, next to a very subdued Kingler. Sceptile and Bayleef where relaxing in the shade near Snorlax and Bulbasaur was trying his hardest to pry off Heracross from trying to latch onto his bulb. Swellow, Gliscor (Who had already been transferred back) and Noctowl were perched on a branch overlooking the others, while Muk,Torkoal and Quilava where sunbathing out in the open. Corphish and Donphan where having a mini sparing match while Glalie was watching slightly amused.

Ash grinned as he saw nearly all his old partners and ran over to them. "Hey guys!" He yelled as he got closer.

All but Snorlax who refused to wake up, stopped what they where doing and looked up to see their trainer running towards them, and suddenly it was a stampede. Ash suddenly stopped running and held out his hands trying to calm down his excited Pokemon, Pikachu could see where this was going and quickly jumped off Ash's shoulder and waited at the side for the inevitable. "Guys, calm down your gonna run int-". He was cut off as he was tackled to the floor and everyone was crowding round him chirping out happily or licking his face.

Tracey who was watching it all from the side, chuckled and shook his head, he'd seen all this before. It happened every time Ash came back from his travels. "Hey Ash, you alright down there?" he asked laughing.

Ash too was laughing, "Hey guys its great to see you all too". After a few more moments they all backed off and he was able to stand back up.

"I've brought some new friends, come on out everyone and say hi!", he grabbed the five Pokeballs from his belt and launched them into the air, where they snapped open and a white light spilled out from each and materialized into the forms of Staraptor, Gible , Torterra , Infernape and Buizel.

Everyone gathered around the new arrivals and greeted them warmly before they all split off into their own little groups again, the new additions included, easily fitting in with Ash's previous Pokemon.

Pikachu hopped back up onto Ash's shoulder as he made his way back over to Tracey on the lab now that he was reaquainted with all his old Pokemon. "So Ash". Tracey spoke up as he neared, "Going to leaving your Sinnoh team here when you travel to a new region?".

"Yup, like ive done for Hoenn and Sinnoh, ill catch and train a squad of whole new Pokemon when I choose where to go, not only is it awesome to make new friends and see new types of Pokemon but it also helps me get better as a trainer".

Tracey was curious about that last statement and asked "How so?".

"Well you see, if I used my already powerful and well-trained Pokemon which are league ready, I wouldn't even have to try when it comes to Gyms and my Pokemon would already be way stronger than the Gym leaders, by raising and training a whole new team right from scratch, it makes it harder and therefore challenges me to think up new strategies and keep on my toes. Plus training a new team and going through the region with them helps bring us together and form a tight bond and when we come home we have a bunch of awesome new friends".

Even after all these years Tracey was still amazed by Ash. Very few people would make it harder for themselves purposefully, simply to make them and their Pokemon stronger. He certainly was one of a kind, and we was happy to see that the Ash they all know and love hasn't changed a bit.

Gible had been close by during the entire conversation, he was curious what his trainer and his friend where talking about and when he heard that he would most likely be left behind when Ash set off for a new region he began to panic. He ran up to to Ash and pulled on his blue travelling trousers. "Gible Gib!".

"Hey Gible whats up?" Ash asked curiously at his dragon-ground type that was desperately trying to get his attention.

Gible started waving his arms up and down trying his best to convey his meaning. "Gible Gib Gible!".

"You know Ash, id wager that Gible wants to go with you". Tracey said watching the amusing behaviour of the small dragon.

"Really Gible you wanna come with us when we go on our next adventure?".

Gible enthusiastically nodded his head up and down, "Gible!".

"Well thats fine with me! Of course you can come Gible!"

At this news Gible was practically bouncing with joy and did the only thing he could in such a moment of excitement, chomp down on Ash's head.

Ash, Tracey and Pikachu all laughed. Ash finally managed to dislodge Gible from his head and they all walked back inside the lab. Ash handed all his Pokeballs, except Gible's and Pikachu's, to Tracey and said his farewells then returned Gible to his Pokeball before heading back home for his dinner.

By the time he walked through the front door he could smell the amazing meal his mother had prepared and raced through into the kitchen. Before him arrayed on the table was all his favourites stacked high and smelling like heaven.

"Your just in time, dig in honey!" Delia smiled happily as Ash began to stack his plate with as much food as possible before sitting down and starting to demolish it at a frenzied pace. As they ate Ash relayed to his mom about all his travels through Sinnoh and all amazing things he'd seen and done, getting scolded for being reckless a few times when he retold parts of where his life was in danger. Eventually the topic turned to his newest travelling companion and Delia noticed the dreamy look on his face as he was describing her.

"Well it's a shame I never got to meet Dawn in person, she sounds like an amazing girl" Delia added as her son finished his dreamy explanation of her. She realised her son was head over heels for this girl and decided to have a bit of fun. "I would have loved to of met my future daughter in law".

"Yeah she's grea...WHAT?!" Ash's face went a deep shade of red as he looked at his mother with an equally shocked and embarrassed face.

"Well it's obvious from the way you where describing her that you two are in love and I would have loved to of met the girl your going to marry". Delia giggled when her son couldn't even form words to reply, all that came out was a few garbled sounds.

"P-please mom can we talk a-about something else!" His voice had gone higher than normal and his eyes where pleading to change the topic.

"Oh alright sweetie, but you know its nothing to be embarrassed about". She giggled again when he just pulled his cap over his eyes to hide his face.

"Actually I have a bit of a surprise for you".

Ash lifted his cap and looked at her curiously "Really?".

She nodded "Yep, Professor Oak is treating us to a vacation for a week to Unova, its a region far away from here, and I know you'll love it because the Professor tells me there's Pokemon there you can't find anywhere else!".

Ash's face lit up, and he suddenly became really exited, "That sounds awesome mom! I cant wait to see all the cool new Pokemon! When do we leave?".

Delia smiled at her sons excitement, nothing quite got him going like seeing new Pokemon. "We leave tomorrow morning so go pack your things!".

"Great, let's go Pikachu!".

"Pikapi!" Pikachu ran over and jumped up onto his shoulder as they ran out of the room to go pack their stuff for their trip to Unova.

Ash was really excited now, and was packing all his traveling gear, since he didn't really unpack from his journey to Sinnoh there wasnt much to do other than change his clothes, he noticed a new set of clothes waiting for him on his bed which his mom had obviously left for him when he went to the ranch and set them ready for the morning, then packed clean versions of the new outfit which his mother had also left folded up on his bed into his backpack. '_Pokemon you can't find anywhere else'_ He thought happily about his mothers words, not much could make him more psyched for this trip, only if Dawn was there too. Dawn. He quickly shook his head to clear it, he didnt want to feel sad again tonite, and focused on Unova and all the new Pokemon he'd meet and be able to catch.

Later that night when he'd finally fallen asleep he was dreaming about all the new adventures he'd be able to have while on vacation in Unova, but as always as of late, his dreams eventually drifted to Dawn, and he smiled as he dreamt about the two of them on a new journey in Unova.

**Next Chapter : Travels to New Lands.**

**I did my best to make up for the shorter start chapter, hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it, it's starting to come together a bit more now and Dawn and Ash will reunite in a few Chapters.**

**I will have Chapter 3 out tomorrow, seeing as its 2:18 am here currently as ive just finished writing this.**

**Until next time, Peace Out.**


	3. Travels to New Lands

**First off I want to thank everyone that reviewed my story so far and especially to those who pointed out some mistakes, I honestly didn't even realise about the Monferno and Grovyle typo. I didn't have a chance to proof read it since it was late and Id just finished a 3 hour typing session, however its all fixed up and it should read a lot easier now. I also added the ages of the characters on the first chapter A/N at the top which I realised was missing.**

**For those wondering once we get into Unova it will be a lot less Cannon, I know how boring it can get when you just read what you've seen already in the Anime.**

**A few more characters will be introduced this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Enjoy Chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Barry: 15**

**Conway: 18**

**Sinnoh Region - The day after Ash left**

It was midday when Dawn finally arrived back at the harbour, the second trip made in as many days except this one was filled with hope and joy, as the previous was with regret and sorrow. The irony was not lost on her.

She made her way up to the board which showed all the times of when ferry's where coming and going, and saw that the next trip to Kanto would leave in about an hour. So she hurried over to the ticket booth and purchased a pass, then walked onto the ferry to her assigned room.

The trip would take around 6 hours plus an hours wait would mean she'd arrive in Kanto at around 7 - 8 pm. She walked into her room and set her things down on the bed before sitting herself down and started thinking just what was going to happen when she met up with Ash.

Would he be happy to see her? She hoped so, she desperately hoped he would as happy as her at their reunion but didn't hold her breath. _'He was so dense during our journey that it was just too hard to tell, I sent him some signals and im pretty sure I got some back but it's Ash we are talking about, so I just don't know'_, she sighed at the thought.

What would she say to him? Oh Arceus what WOULD she say? She was pretty sure she couldn't just waltz up to him give him a kiss and say "Hi Ash, I love you! Lets be together forever!". She could just picture his face if she said that, and while it would be priceless it certainly wouldn't help further their relationship. The fact is she has never confessed to anyone before, because she's never loved anyone before. The only experience she had in that department was when Kenny made his oh so heroic duel for her at Sunnyshore, but she felt that was lame and awkward and flatly told him afterward that she wasnt interested in him like that and never would and Brock's many confessions but they could hardly be taken seriously.

She decided she would just cross that bridge when she came to it, at the very least she could just tell him how she felt and hope it all worked out.

Somewhat satisfied with her new plan of action, she decided to take a quick stroll around the ship to help pass the time, see if there where any shops on board she could browse through. From what she'd heard Kanto was slightly warmer than Sinnoh and if the chance presented itself she would like a new bathing suit to show off. She made her way to the shopping area located on the third floor of the ship and started to browse around, she found a small summer and beach wear clothing store and picked herself out a nice sky blue two-piece bikini that complimented her eyes and hair, then continued her look around. She came across a little nik-nak charm and accessory store and decided to have a look. What caught her attention was the necklaces with Pokemon charms attached to them. They where silver chain-linked necklaces with your choice of a small silver shaped Pokemon. She thought they where adorable and quickly found out the Piplup one for herself, then she browsed through them and found a Pikachu one for Ash. Happy that she found something he'd like she payed for them and skipped out the store.

By the time she got back to her room the ship was setting sail and was already leaving Sinnoh far behind, she dropped off her new purchases, smiled at Piplup who was dozing on the bed and decided to go up to the deck to watch to ocean and enjoy the view.

When she got there, it was quite crowded '_Seems like everyone else had the same idea'_. Worming her way through the crowd she managed to reach to railing and could see the speck of land that was Sinnoh finally disappear from view, content with just leaning on the railing and enjoying the atmosphere she relaxed for a while.

Or tried too, for some reason she felt a presence nearby that made her uneasy and feel like she needed a shower, and it soon became clear where it was coming from.

"Hello Dawn" She froze, eye's wide and body ram-rod straight, there is only one person who sounds like that, who she prayed to the heavens she would never have to see again._Conway._ Arceus, even the name gave her the chills. And it seemed as always that he was still intent on giving her his special undivided attention.

"Hi... Conway.. err, what are you doing going to Kanto?" She laughed nervously as she said it, voice slightly higher and squeakier than normal. She turned her head slightly just to get a glimpse of the sun shining off his glasses. He was much _much _too close for comfort.

"I could very well ask you the same question, he he he". Ugh he made her feel uncomfortable, she was looking around for anyway out of talking to him but unfortunately couldn't come up with anything. "It seems we are destined to keep running into each other" he said with a slimy smile.

'_More like cursed, please Arceus do something to make him leave!' _she mentally pleaded to the heavens.

As if on que there was a loud commotion coming from the crowd, just as she looked a very familiar face came bursting through. "Out of the way! Out of the way!".

She watched as he ran straight into Conway sending both of them sprawling. No longer trapped she sighed in relief and turned around to giggle at the sight.

The blonde haired teen responsible for all the trouble jumped straight back up pointing accusingly at Conway. "Whats wrong with you?! I'm fining you £100 for not moving!". Conway was still trying to recover from being body slammed, and was fumbling around the deck for his glasses which got sent flying in the collision.

"Hey Barry, its great to see you". She said, silently thanking Arceus for answering her pleas.

Barry looked around noticing Dawn for the first time, his face changed instantly from angry to smiling, he had already forgotten about Conway. "Oh, hey Dawn, didn't see you there, what are you doing on a boat to Kanto?".

"I'm actually on my way to see someone". She added trying to control her blush, "What about you?".

"I'm looking for a new place to take a Gym challenge! Gotta keep it up if I hope to be the worlds best trainer, you havent seen Ash or Paul recently have you? Cant let them get too far ahead!".

Dawn forgot how hyperactive Barry was, even standing talking to her he couldn't keep still, constantly fidgeting from one foot to the other. "I havent seen Paul, and Ash is the one im actually on my way to see". This time she did blush, admitting that she was on her way specially to see him sent blood straight to her face.

Barry raised and eyebrow considering what she'd said before a playful smirk plastered itself across his face. "Ah so there was something between you two, you know I could tell before even you guys, just goes to show how much smarter I am".

"Shut up". She smacked him playfully and they both laughed.

By this time Conway had recovered and walked back over to them, and she swore the temperature dropped a few degrees. "You should really watch where your going, I was trying to have a nice conversation with Dawn". The way he said 'nice conversation' was enough to make her skin crawl.

Barry looked at him, confusion written clearly on his features. "Really you where? It looked to me like you where interrogating her, what where you talking about anyway?". Barry was not really one to think before he spoke and usually just said what he saw, and right now Dawn was quite thankful for it, because the look on Conway's face at that statement was perfect.

"We were just talking about why we where heading to Kanto, but I must be going now, ill see you later Dawn". With that he walked off and Dawn let out a breath she wasnt aware she was holding.

"Thank you Barry". He turned to her, still confused. "For what?".

"Oh nothing, why where you in such a rush anyhow?" Then realising who she was talking to added "Why are you _always_ in such a rush?".

" I wanted to take a picture of Sinnoh from the back of the boat with my new camera, but it seems im too late". He stomped about in frustration, like a child would when they realised the amusement park is shut after they get there.

As he was doing this she noticed he still had all his things stuffed in his pack, which he was carrying around on his back. "Hey Barry, why didn't you put your stuff in your room?".

"Because we havent been given our rooms yet? I swear if they don't do it soon im gonna fine them! I've been carrying this stuff around for 3 hours!".

Dawn sweatdropped, "Uh Barry, your given a room with your ticket, look on the back".

Barry's eyes widened and he whipped out his ticket and turned it over in his hands. "WHAT? I gotta go get my room! I'll see you later Dawn!". With that he was off as fast as he came. Dawn giggled at her friend before deciding it was time to go get something to eat at the food bar and hoping she didn't have another run in with Conway.

**Pallet Town - Earlier that day**

It was 9 am and Ash was still asleep, he was sprawled out in his bed and dreaming happily, in his dreams he found himself with Dawn...

_'Both of them where walking down a long golden sandy beach, the sun was just about setting over the horizon , causing the sky to slowly fade to black while being streaked with red from the fading daylight which reflected on the ocean's surface. Stars where just making their presence known as the two of them walked hand in hand down the beach, no one else in sight. When they reached a spot next to a small rock pool, home to two small Staryu, they stopped and Ash turned to face her. He put his hands in her own and entwined their fingers, while they lost themselves in each others eyes, like they had so many times before. This time felt different, more emotional, more intense, as they continued to draw closer, until their where mere inches apart. Dawn tilted up her head and closed her eyes, while he leaned down and closed his own before their lips met and they shared a passionate kiss. His heart was pounding fast now, knowing what he planned to do next, he slowly broke the kiss, keeping his eyes locked with hers. "I love you Dawn, more than anything else in this world, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else". He then got down on one knee and produced a ring from his pocket, it was a silver banded ring with a large sapphire surrounded by small pearls. He heard Dawn gasp as he held up the ring and asked "Dawn Berlitz, will you marry me?"._

Ash woke with a start, his heart beating so fast it threatened to burst out of his chest, and his head filled with the images of the dream he'd just experienced. It felt so real he had to quickly check his surroundings to make sure he wasnt on some exotic beach, proposing. Sighing in relief when he noticed his familiar bedroom, he shook his head trying to clear the all too real dream. He'd never had a dream like that before, and with all these new emotions recently it was a lot to take in.

"Pikapi?". Pikachu asked concerned, he'd woke from his slumber to see Ash sweating and panting slightly, and wondered what was wrong with his friend.

"Its nothing Pikachu, just a dream" Ash reassured him with a weak smile.

But to his surprise he found he enjoyed the dream, and it made him feel happy. Deciding not to think on it he grabbed his new outfit and started to get ready for his trip to Unova.

His new outfit consisted of a blue and white zipper top, a light blue undershirt, black training leggings and a new red and white cap with a blue Pokeball logo. (His Unova Anime clothes)

Dressed he made his way down to the kitchen for his breakfast, his mom had already made and prepared. "Good morning honey, ready for our vacation?" Delia chimed from the sink as he walked through the door.

"All set, no need to worry". He gave her a thumbs up as he sat down and started piling up a generous serving of pancakes with syrup, then digging in at his usual pace. He wanted to talk to his mom about the dream and help him figure it all out but decided against that idea, he didn't feel like being teased all the way to Unova.

After breakfast he grabbed his things from his room and smiled at Pikachu on his shoulder, "We're going on a vacation with mum, its been a long time since we've done that, right buddy?".

"Pika!" his companion replied.

"Ash, Professor Oaks here, its time to leave!" Delia called from downstairs, Ash grabbed his bag and headed down to the front door, to see the Professor with his Hawaiian style shirt and shorts waiting in his open-top jeep.

As they all climbed in to set off to the airport, Ash had a strange feeling that he was missing something, that he'd left something behind. Checking all his stuff he found nothing missing and shook off the feeling, putting it down to excitement, but as they set off he couldn't help but look back trying to figure out what it was he felt he missed.

**Viridian Port - 8 pm**

Dawn rushed from her room when she heard they'd arrived in Kanto, she came out in time to see the port coming into view and took in all the sights of her first look at the new region. "Look Piplup, we're in Kanto!", she squealed out.

"Piiiiiipluuuuuuuuup" he let out in awe, he'd always wondered what the land his friend came from looked like.

She made her way to the boarding ramp to find a crowd of people waiting for the ship to dock so they could get off. Looking around she couldn't see any sign of Conway or Barry, and just shrugged assuming they'd be somewhere close by. The ship finally docked, and as the ramp went down everyone rushed to get off, it took a while to get through the herd of people but finally Dawn took her first steps into another region. She had to admit it was kind of exhilarating, having lived her entire life up to this point in Sinnoh, being in Kanto made her feel giddy.

Following the crowd into Viridian City she took in all the old buildings and slight difference in architecture, mainly at how different the Pokemon Center looked. Trying not to get distracted she pulled out a map of the Kanto region which she picked up on the boat, and found out which direction she'd need to head in order to get to Pallet Town. Satisfied she knew where she was going and the fact that it was only an hours walk at best she excitedly made her way through the bustling city.

Half an hour later she found herself on the path to Pallet Town while looking at the map, when she got reunited with Ash, she'd have to ask him to take her around Kanto, there where so many great places she just had to see. Celadon and Saffron Cities where chief among them, seeing the giant cities and their famous contest halls would be amazing. She also wouldn't mind a romantic beach walk with him on Cinnabar Island... The thought made her blush.

Putting the map away, she started looking around at her surroundings once more, spotting Pokemon she wasnt used to seeing. Rattata's where running around through the small grass while Pidgey's where chirping from the nearby tree's. She even saw a few Spearow flying overhead, it enforced the fact that she was in a different region and again it started to get her excited.

A little while later and Pallet Town itself came into view, she was stood on top of a hill looking down on the town and from here she could see most of it. It looked just like Twinleaf Town, small, quiet and friendly. She could just about make out some kind of larger building on a hill in the distance at the back of the town and assumed that had to be the famous lab of Professor Oak. "Look Piplup its Pallet Town, which means we're close to reuniting with Ash and Pikachu!".

Piplup looked out over the town and tried to make out any sign of his old friend, "Pip piip luup Piplip Pip".

"Come on let's go, like mom said Ash will be off on an adventure as soon as he can and we don't want to miss him do we?" She grinned at her starter.

Piplup shook his head and hopped up into Dawn's arms as she took off towards the town.

Five minutes later an out of breath Dawn arrived at the edge of the town, suddenly quite nervous. She was so close to Ash and soon she would have to tell him why she came all this way. She forced the building anxiety down and entered the small town, noticing just how beautiful it was. The first major problem she found was that she didn't know which house was Ash's, all she knew was that he lived in Pallet. Small towns like this are usually close-knit so someone should be able to point her in the correct direction she reasoned. Coming across a middle-aged man watering his lawn she stopped to ask for directions. " Excuse me sir, would you happen to know where the Ketchum house is?".

"Of course young lady, it's the fourth house on your left if you keep going down the main road, it has a well organised flower bed on the front, you cant miss it!" he replied with a smile.

"Thank you, sir" Dawn nodded gratefully before happily continuing on her way.

Before long she saw the house, and her heart started to beat faster. '_This is it'_ she thought. Steeling herself she made her way through the gate and down the path, past the flowerbeds to the front door. Holding her breath she knocked.

No answer.

Breathing out she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Getting worried that she'd missed them she knocked again making sure it would be loud enough for anyone inside to hear, again getting the same reply. Had she missed him? Had he already gone off on some new adventure without her? The thought made her start to panic, this isn't how it was supposed to go!

Maybe he was at the ranch with all his Pokemon and his mom was out shopping?

Calming herself down she started making her way over to the lab on the top of the hill, hoping she would find Ash there and everything would be fine. She reached the lab and knocked on the door, expecting to come face to face with Professor Oak, or as she liked to think of him as 'The Poet Man' but instead was greeting by a boy she didnt recognise. He had black hair parted in the middle, kept in place with a headband and he wore the typical white lab coat of an assistant. "Hello can I help you?".

"Uhm, hi, I was hoping you could tell me where the Professor is? I kinda need to ask him something". Dawn replied.

"Oh im sorry, the Professor left earlier today for a vacation and wont be back for a week".

"Well do you know if Ash Ketchum is here? He's kinda who im looking for". She tried her hardest to keep the heat from her face and waited for an answer.

"You know Ash?" The assistant asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, ive been travelling around with him for the past two years, since he came to Sinnoh".

"Oh you must be Dawn! Ash never stopped talking about you, im Tracey I travelled with him when he came to the Orange Islands". Tracey replied with a grin.

Dawn couldn't help her face from going red but was happy to meet one of the friends Ash spoke of during their travels, he'd mentioned Tracey while telling her of his past adventures.

"So do you know where he is?" She couldn't keep the hope from her voice.

"Yeah and im sorry but he left with his mother and the Professor on their vacation, they wont be back until next week either im afraid".

Dawn's heart sank into her stomach,and disappointment flood through her, so he had gone already, now she was really hitting herself for not going with him originally. She was going to have to wait a whole week until he got back! Unless he stayed there and decided it would be a good place for another journey, and knowing Ash as well as she did, she assumed that would be the case.

"Would you happen to know where exactly they went to?".

"Yeah they went to Unova, it's a region that's a long way away from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh and only recently opened up communications with the other regions. In fact because of its location you'll find Pokemon there you wont find anywhere else"

'_Great' _she thought_, 'That means Ash will definitely be staying there for a new adventure'_.

"And how exactly do you get to Unova?"

Tracey looked at her curiously "You must really want to see him if your willing to go after them , but the only way to get there is by plane, Unova is so far away that taking a ferry there would take weeks, as it is the plane ride alone with take twelve hours".

Her eyes widened slightly at that, '_Twelve hours?!'_ She thought, well in the end it didn't matter really, because she'd be with Ash again and that's that only thing she cared about.

"Could you please show me where the airport is?".

"Of course, do you have a map on you?" She pulled out her travel map from her backpack and handed it over to him. He pulled out a pen from his lab coat and circled an area on the map before handing it back to her. "So your serious about this, your willing to go all the way over their to see him?".

"Yeah I am, Ash means the world to me and I can't wait another week". She answered truthfully.

"Well if that's the case, it happens that I have a spare plane ticket to Unova that you can have, it was originally meant for me but since the help we where getting to cover for us while we were gone ended up not being able to make it, I volunteered to stay behind and look after things". He reached into a draw pulled out the ticket and handed it over to her. "And don't worry its an open ticket that's valid for a whole week".

"Wow, thank you so much!" Dawn beamed.

"Dont mention it, its obvious how much you care about him" He winked at her.

She blushed and tried to cover her face with the ticket. Deciding was time to go find Ash again, she said farewell to Tracey she set off towards the airport as fast as she could, not wanting Ash to wander off into Unova before she could find him. Her only regret was having to leave Kanto so soon, but if things worked out between them they could tour it together later as a couple. The thought made her happy.

She reached the airport as the sun finally set over the horizon, and noticed the next flight to Unova was not until the next morning. Sighing but knowing there was no other choice she opted to camp out for the night and get on the plane first thing tomorrow. She handed over her open ticket to the clerk behind the counter and booked her flight, then proceeded to set up camp in the nearby wild. She tucked Piplup into her sleeping bag and snuggled down herself '_No need to worry Ash, ill see you soon'_ she thought as she dozed happily off to sleep imagining her reunion with the boy she loved.

**Unova - The follow morning**

Ash stretched on the dock as he finally made through the twelve-hour flight to Unova. He had to admit he was pumped, he could already see Pokemon he'd never even heard of and it was getting really hard to contain his excitement. They had landed in Nuvema Town and he instantly ran to the shore to look into the ocean and grinned when he saw a large pink fish like Pokemon with two large fins on its back and stomach swimming around below him. "Look Pikachu" he pointed at the water,"this place is great! I wonder how many new types of Pokemon we will find here" He grinned imagining them all.

"Pika pi Pikachu pika!" Pikachu himself was excited, he doubted he was more so than Ash but the idea of meeting new friends here was a concept he was really looking forward to.

Still Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something or _someone_ was missing, it had bothered him all the way from Kanto. Dawn's face immediately came into his head.

"Dawn..." Ash whispered, looking out across the ocean.

"Pika..." Pikachu's ears flattened, feeling sorry for his friend, he knew how much he cared about the blue haired girl. He couldn't understand why they didn't get together in Sinnoh, they instead just kept looking at each other and touching whenever possible. Human courting confused the hell out of him.

Ash shook his head and focused on all the new Pokemon around him, hoping to keep Dawn off his mind and the fact that she couldn't be here with him.

**Next Chapter : Zekrom, Trip and a Close Call**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

**I do read all the reviews, and im open to suggestions and constructive criticism, let me know what you think of the story so far.**

**Until next time. Peace out.**


	4. Zekrom, Trip and a Close Call

**Hi everyone, this will be one of the last set up chapters, Ash and Dawn will reunite soon and Pokemon battles will start happening as well. **

**The main plot will start to come into play a bit more and all that good stuff. This will be another large Ash chapter but it's needed to get the story moving along. Not super amounts of fluff in this but ill make up for it next chapter.**

**So on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Ages:**

**Trip : 10**

**Iris : 14**

**Chapter 4 : Zekrom, Trip and a Close Call**

**Kanto Region - Mid morning**

Piplup awoke to find Dawn still fast asleep in their tent, he stretched and rubbed his eyes shaking off the last remnants of sleep before looking at Dawn's Poketch to check the time. When he saw that it was already 8:30 he quickly ran over and started to peck his trainer to wake her up, the plane was leaving in 30 minutes! Plus he knew how moody she was if she didn't have a chance to sort out her appearance. "Piplup pip lup piplup!".

Dawn groggily opened her eyes as she felt something pecking her side, and listening to Piplup getting excited about something she knew the source of her annoyance. She rolled over to look at him still feeling too tired to really reprimand him, checked her Poketch seeing it was only 8:35 and just yawned out "Piplup it's only half eight, it's too early to be this excited im going back to sleep". With that she proceeded to pull the sleeping bag over her head and resume sleeping.

Piplup deadpanned and decided to use more extreme measures. Pulling back his head and taking in a large breath of air he shot a large Bubblebeam attack at Dawn's face. That did it.

Dawn shot up and gave Piplup a death glare, "Piplup what the hell is wrong with you?!". She blinked and noticed he was frantically waving a plane ticket in front of her. Then it clicked, and she checked the time again. "Oh no! The plane leaves in 20 minutes! Ive got to get ready! Thanks Piplup".

"And sorry" she added sheepishly scratching the back of her head, a habit she picked up from Ash.

As fast as she could, she got changed into fresh underwear and put on her usual outfit, then proceeded to quickly but thoroughly style her hair. She then quickly packed everything into her bag and ran to the reception desk in the airport. "Made it with 5 minutes to spare, I think that's a new record for us".

"Pip piplup" he chirped proudly from her side, puffing out his chest. He was quite happy with himself for rescuing the situation.

"Watch out!" Was all the warning she received before Barry collided with her, sending them both to the floor. It appeared she wasnt the only one who was late.

"Hey! Why didn't you move?! I'm gonna have to fine you if I miss the plane!" but realising who he'd collapsed onto he quickly got up and added " Oh Dawn its you, how are you?".

Dawn facepalmed and dusted herself off, "Ugh Barry! It's too early to be dealing with you, and im doing great, thanks for barreling into me" she shook her head, "What are you doing here anyway, weren't you suppose to be doing the Kanto Gym's?".

Barry finished paying for his ticket and turned to face her " I was gonna, but when I decided to visit the famous Professor Oak's lab yesterday, I got there only to find out that he and Ash had gone to Unova, if they've both gone there it has to be tough so ill be taking the Gym challenges there instead! Cant let Ash get better than me, now can I?"

"Wait you where at the lab yesterday? How come I didn't run into you, and come to think of it I didn't see you get off the boat either". She looked at him suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I was the first off the boat, had no time to wait around, I had to go see the Professor's lab and make my first Gym challenge as soon as I could so I sprinted all the way there" he boasted.

"Of course you did, I forgot who I was talking to" she sighed, "If you made such good time, how come you were late now?".

"I spent most of the morning chasing what I thought was a Legendary Pokemon but it turned out to just be Nidorina" he added, embarrassment clear on his face.

Dawn deadpanned, Barry's ADD tendencies really could make him look a complete idiot at times. "Well come on, we should go, the plane is leaving soon".

"Right" he nodded.

She grabbed Piplup in her arms and they boarded the plane, her assigned seat it turns out was a window one and Barry ended up in the center aisle at the back.

"Alright folks, this is your captain speaking, we will now be leaving for Unova, the flight will take around twelve hours so get comfy and relax, and I hope you enjoy your flight" the captain's voice over the intercom sounded out as the plane started to take off.

Dawn settled down in her seat and snuggled up with Piplup in her lap, deciding to take a nap, thinking that time would go by faster if she slept, but she did so with a content smile on her face knowing she was finally on her way to reuniting with Ash.

**Unova Region - Nuvema Town**

"Pika?" Pikachu's ears went up, he could sense something approaching fast, but he didn't know what. Ash didn't seem to notice as he was checking out all the different aquatic Pokemon, lost in his own world. Pikachu sniffed the air and looked into the sky for answers, and noticed a rather ominous cyclonic black cloud approaching them. There was something off about it, apart from the fact that it was a cloudless, sunny day, he could feel something _wrong_ with the cloud itself. Whatever it was it wasnt a natural occurence and it had a strange hum of incredible power emanating off it. Deciding he should warn his friend he ran over to Ash's feet and began tugging on his leggings. "Pika pi! Pikachu pi pika pikachu!".

Ash noticed him and turned his concerned gaze on his long time travelling partner, "What's up Pikachu, is something wrong?".

Pikachu pointed in the direction of the strange cloud " Pikapi!".

Ash looked up and noticed it for the first time, his eye's widened, he couldn't sense as much as Pikachu could but he still knew that that was no normal cloud, and he needed to get out of there and fast. "Come on lets find shelter before it hits!".

But before he could take more than five steps the cloud suddenly sped up and was centered directly over them. Ash and Pikachu where suddenly caught in a raging whirlwind and strange arcs of blue lightning where coming down all around them, instinctively Ash grabbed Pikachu and protected him in his arms.

A booming roar shook them both from high above, and Ash squinted against the windy torrent as he looked up to try to see the source of the noise. There in the center of the vortex was a large black figure, it looked like it stood bi-pedal and had two large wings erupting from its shoulders, its claws and feet where tipped with three large talons. Its skin was all black and it had a horn shaped protrusion coming off the back of its draconic head, tipped with visible blue electric power. Its blazing red eyes boring into Ash's own as it looked down onto the two figures trapped beneath it. The most arresting feature Ash could see was its tail, it was large and conical in shape, yet brimming with the same blue electricity that could be seen on the back of its horn and around them in the air. Except it seemed focused there like some kind of generator. The Pokemon, Ash realised it had to be, radiated tremendous power and he was doing his best to keep his nerve as its gaze was still threatening to bore through him.

Slowly it dropped out of the sky before finally coming to a stop in front of them. Ash's gaze never leaving its own and he stood his ground.

It was huge he realised now it was directly in front of his face, standing around three meter's tall and nearly as many wide.

Pain suddenly wracked through him and his skull felt it would explode as a powerful presence entered his mind. Ash dropped to his knee's and cried out in agony but gritted his teeth and kept his eyes on the Pokemon. A deep resonating voice filled his head.

_**'Chosen one, your ideals will be tested, to see if they are deemed worthy'**_. It then pointed towards Pikachu who floated up and out of Ash's arms and was held suspended in front of him. _**'The power ill bestow upon you is yours to use as you see fit, use it wisely, for I will be watching, testing'**_.

Before Ash could ask what he meant large currents of blue electric power surged from the Pokemon and into Pikachu. Upon contact Pikachu gasped but not in pain but rather shock, he'd never felt so strong in his life, and the more that was poured into him the better he felt. Suddenly it was cut off and Pikachu floated back down to Ash before the Pokemon flew back up into the vortex and roared again and as quickly as it came it left. They watched it leave, taking the strange weather with it and leaving them both stunned.

Ash snapped out of his amazement and quickly turned his worried gaze down to Pikachu, who was now letting off blue lightning out of his fur, "Pikachu, you ok buddy?".

Pikachu leapt onto the concrete floor and proceeded to check his limbs and abilities one by one and found that everything was working just fine, he turned back to his trainer and nodded "Pika pika".

Sighing that his friend wasnt hurt, Ash heard his mother come running over to him, she'd obviously witnessed the entire event and was clearly worried. "Ash sweetie are you ok?".

"Yeah im fine, we were approached by some kind of Pokemon and he did something to Pikachu, he seems fine, but I still would like to get him checked out" he was still slightly concerned about the strange blue lightning which was now coming off his partner.

Professor Oak had also witnessed it, and thought it was rather suspicious "A Pokemon you say? Interesting, there are not many Pokemon capable of creating a weather storm like that for cover" He looked up inquisitively at the direction the 'storm' had gone. "And a good friend and colleague of mine will help take a look at Pikachu to see if there is anything abnormal about him, her lab isn't too far away".

Ash nodded and they proceeded to follow the Professor to the lab.

When they reached it they were greeted by a woman in her early thirties with long brown hair curled up onto of her head, wearing an open lab coat over a white top and green skirt. She wore red and white shoes with no socks. "Hello everyone, my name is Professor Juniper, welcome to Unova". She greeted them all warmly and nodding at her colleague.

"Professor, Ash here had a strange encounter with a Pokemon that appeared in a storm cloud, it did something to his Pikachu and we were hoping you could take a look at it" Oak asked.

"We noticed that cloud and tried to get a reading on it but every time we tried to scan it our equipment stopped working or only produced static, and if as you say a Pokemon is responsible it could be troubling", she nodded at Ash "Of course we will do everything we can for your Pikachu, im honestly quite excited to take a look at it, you don't see many of them over here".

They moved into the lab and they were taken to a room at the back where the monitoring could be done, Pikachu was placed on a table and various wires were attached on his body to take readings.

Ash watched anxiously, hoping everything would work out fine, he couldn't understand what the large black Pokemon meant when he said he was some kind of Chosen One and that he was being tested. What did that all mean? Who was that Pokemon? He hoped it wouldn't be another Shamouti Island. As curious as he was about that his first concern was the wellbeing of his buddy and he waited with a worried look for the results.

Professor Juniper was watching all the readings on a computer screen in front of her, and what she was seeing was nothing more than incredible. Pikachu's electrical power was off the charts! He had about fifty times more voltage coursing through his body than he should be able to carry without becoming sick. Under normal circumstances Pikachu should be dead, yet he seemed completely fine as if all the extra electricity stored in his body wasnt even there. "Your Pikachu shouldnt even be breathing, it has so much electric power surging through it, that's its body shouldnt be able to cope, yet from what I can see it's perfectly healthy. I've never seen anything like it".

That wasnt the response Ash had been expecting, and he looked at his partner with wide eyes. Pikachu cocked his head to the side and looked back at him, equally confused.

"Tell me Ash, this Pokemon you saw, what did it look like?" Juniper suddenly asked him.

As Ash described what he'd seen, her eyes grew wider.

"It couldn't have been Zekrom could it?" she asked with disbelief, the description fit the Legendary Pokemon of Unova, but no one has seen it in thousands of years, for it to suddenly show up and infuse a trainers Pikachu with electricity was unheard of.

"Zekrom?" Ash asked, he'd never heard of that before, but he suspected it was a Legendary of some sort.

"Here ill show you" Juniper walked over to a book-case at the back of the room and pulled an old thick tome off the shelf and opened it to a specific page before showing it to the group. There on the pages where two images of large draconic Pokemon labelled as Reshiram and Zekrom.

Ash studied the picture of Zekrom and found it to match almost perfectly to the Pokemon he saw at the harbour. He nodded toward it on the page "That's the Pokemon we saw".

Juniper nodded and replaced the book on the shelf, "It seems you where in fact then visited by one of Unova's legends after all, no one has seen anything of Zekrom or Reshiram for thousands of years so this is quite remarkable".

Before she could continue a ding could be heard on the intercom "I'm sorry to bother you Professor, but a new trainer is here for his first Pokemon", the voice spoke.

"Sorry everyone but the rest will have to wait, I have to go see to the new trainer". She nodded politely to everyone and started to walk out the room.

"Wait Professor, would you mind if I came and watched, it's always exiting seeing someone get their first ever Pokemon and start their journey! Plus ill get to see the Unova starters!" Ash said, excitement in his words.

She smiled warmly down at him and nodded "Of course Ash, it's no problem at all".

The two of them walked into the front of the lab, where Ash could see a tray already out with three Pokeballs resting in holders on the top, he grinned to himself, looking forward to seeing what kinds of Pokemon people can choose to start with in Unova. As they reached the Pokeballs a young man with dark beige coloured hair approached from the entrance. He was wearing a black and orange hoodie over a black shirt with creme coloured leggings and blue and white trainers.

"Welcome Trip, I know you've waited a long time for this day, welcome to the world of Pokemon!" Professor Juniper said cheerfully.

"Hi there, my names Ash, and im from Pallet Town in Kanto, I bet your excited about becoming a Pokemon trainer!" He asked smiling and extending his hand out towards the younger male.

In response Trip snorted and looked at Ash as if he was stupid "Pallet Town? Kanto? I should have guessed a guy like you was from the boonies" Then he proceeded to laugh.

"Boonies?" He looked at Trip surprised, "What's your problem?" he asked, annoyed at the snide arrogant remarks.

"Now Trip, today is the day you start your Pokemon journey, you should be a little friendlier to other trainers" Juniper reprimanded him slightly "Besides Ash was only being nice".

He shrugged it off as if it was of no concern and they all turned their attention to the Pokeballs as Professor Juniper proceeded to open each of them in turn and reveal their contents. She introduced Tepig, Oshawott and Snivy. Ash was pumped to see three new Pokemon he'd never seen before and began to get a good look at each of them. "They all look great, any one of them would be a great choice".

"Dont forget its my choice" Trip smirked at him.

Ash was really starting to dislike this guy, for someone just starting out he sure liked to talk down at people.

After choosing Snivy as his starter and receiving his Pokeballs and Pokedex he quickly left to set off on his journey. Ash watched him walk out the door as Pikachu came running through from the back and hopped up onto his shoulder. "Hey buddy, shall we go see if he's as good as he thinks he is?" he said as he smiled at his partner.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu pumped his fist up into the air to signal that he was ready to go.

Ash grinned then ran after Trip. He found the younger man hadn't gotten far and he easily caught up with him. "Hey Trip, how about a Pokemon battle?" He called out to him grinning.

"I suppose I could, ive only just started but it shouldnt be hard to beat some from the boonies like you" he replied while shrugging his shoulders. "Wait whats that Pokemon?" He asked looking at Pikachu.

Then much to Ash's amazement he started taking photo's of it. Ash and Pikachu shared a look both thinking the same thing '_Is this idiot serious?'_ "What are you doing?".

"This is why we don't like people from the boonies, listen a Pikachu in Unova is a big deal" He spoke in his condescending tone.

"Look do you wanna battle or not?" Ash was getting tired with him already, he clearly needed knocking down a few notches.

"Fine, let's go to battlefield round the back of the lab".

They both walked around the back and took up opposite sides of the battlefield.

"Alright Pikachu lets show him what someone from 'the boonies' can do" Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and stood ready for battle.

"Snivy go get 'em now!" Trip threw his Pokeball into the air and it snapped out spilling out a white light, and his starter materialized in front of him. "Snivy" he announced as he took up a battle stance.

Ash was about to call out the first move but stopped when Trip started taking pictures again. "Uh Trip, arent we having a battle?".

"Im recording my journey, and I have to record Snivy's first win" he smirked behind his camera.

Ash rolled his eyes "Well if your busy, we'll go first, Pikachu start out with quick attack!".

Pikachu starting glowing white briefly before running towards Snivy at incredible speed, smashing into the starter Pokemon and sending it flying back.

"Snivy use Leaf Tornado!" Trip called out to the small grass snake.

Snivy leaped into the air and started to channel leaves around itself in a twister like fashion before throwing them in the direction of Pikachu.

"Hmm that's a move we've never seen before, quick counter with Volt Tackle!".

Pikachu nodded and began running towards the Leaf Tornado and his opponent, an electric aura forming around him. But something was wrong. First the electric surrounding him was blue not yellow and second the amount of electricity building was nothing less than terrifying. Ash stood there with his eye's wide as the electric field coming off his starter enveloped his entire side of the battle field, "Uh... Pikachu?" he asked uncertainly, not quite sure what would happen when the attack landed.

Trip also saw what was coming his way and could only gape, he had no idea Pikachu was THIS strong, Arceus it must be maximum level!

"Pika pika pika pika pika PIKA PIKA PIKA PIKA **PIKA PIKA PIKA PIKA**" Pikachu's voice was getting deeper and deeper as more power built. Snivy could only stare with a look of absolute fear as Pikachu broke through the Leaf Tornado like it was air and proceeded to come straight at him."**PIKA**" Ash's starter and long time travelling partner yelled as he collided with Snivy.

The resulting explosion sent a cloud of dust high into the air and a powerful shockwave exploded out from the point of impact, Trip was thrown hard backwards as he was stood quite close and he collided with a nearby tree, Ash was knocked off his feet and sent back a meter landing hard on his back. The windows of Professor Juniper's lab proceeded to shatter and smash from the sheer force of the shockwave and all the nearby Pokemon ran for their lives in confusion and fear.

Ash groggily got to his feet and dusted himself off, trying to see through the cloud of smoke that had enveloped the battlefield. As it finally cleared he could see Pikachu standing there in disbelief at what he'd caused with one of his standard moves, he looked back at his trainer for answer's but Ash simply shook his head. In front of him was a crater, about twelve ft wide and about 6 ft deep. At the bottom was a very crispy and very knocked out Snivy. Fearing the worst, he quickly ran over and picked up the poor grass snake Pokemon and checked its pulse. It was still alive, albeit barely, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Trip finally came to his senses and stood up in obvious pain and rubbed his back, he looked over to what was left of the battlefield and saw his first Pokemon chared to the point where it was hard to tell it was green. Ash walked over to him and handed him Snivy. "You should return him and get him help at a Pokemon center immediately, he's hurt pretty bad" Ash told him in a low tone, filled with concern and guilt.

Trip nodded dumbly, unable to fathom words after what had happened, returned Snivy to his Pokeball and quickly ran off to the Pokemon Center.

"I think we should go back to Professor Juniper and explain what happened". Ash told his companion and Pikachu nodded. As it was, she was running out to see them, followed by Professor Oak and his mom. All of them wearing expressions of worry and confusion as they approached.

"Ash what happened, we heard an explosion and suddenly all the glass in the lab cracked and shattered! Are you ok?" Professor Juniper asked him.

He scratched the back of his head and replied "Uhm yeah we're fine, not so sure about Trip's Snivy though. The explosion you heard came from our battle, I don't know what happened, it was all going fine until I ordered Pikachu to do a regular Volt Tackle and the result was..." he gestured all around them at the remains of the battlefield, "well this".

It took a moment for them all the process this information but finally Professor Oak spoke up "Professor, do you think it could have something to do with what Zekrom did to him? Afterall you did say Pikachu was storing a lot of extra electrical energy within himself".

She thought about it for a moment and nodded "Yes it must be, tell me Ash did anything look different about the attack?".

Ash recalled the battle in his head, he remembered the blue electric aura and sheer amount of electricity coming off it, "Yeah instead of it being a regular yellow it came out blue, and the amount of energy it emitted was enough to cover my entire side of the field".

"I think, Pikachu is somehow able to tap into all the power that was stored inside him for use in his attacks, normally using that amount of electricity would be impossible for a Pokemon of his size so it's quite curious as to how this is possible".

She noticed Ash getting worried and decided to quell his fears slightly "Dont worry Ash, as far as I can see there are no negative effects on Pikachu, the only thing that seems to have changed is the fact that his electric attacks have received a significant boost in power. Id of loved to have given him another check up but the shockwave from your Volt Tackle had some electrical discharge with it and its disabled all our equipment for the minute. Until we know for sure whats going on with him id recommend only using non electric attacks in battles, because with the kind of power currently stored in this little guy it could be potentially lethal".

Ash nodded in understanding while something that Zekrom said to him came floating back _**'The power ill bestow upon you is yours to use as you see fit, use it wisely, for I will be watching'**_. Was this what he meant? The power he bestowed was all focused on Pikachu? He didn't like this at all, and didn't want to hurt anymore Pokemon, he promised himself he'd look for some way to damped Pikachu's power for now, he couldn't afford for anyone to get seriously hurt because of it.

A couple of hours later at the lab, people where repairing the broken windows and disabled equipment. Ash stood with his mom and the Professor's and decided he'd make a new adventure for himself here. "Mom im gonna go on another journey, right here in Unova. There's a bunch of great new Pokemon and Gyms so its perfect!" The thought of all the new places and people he'd see and meet made him all the more excited.

"I know you wanted to spend some time together on a vacation here, but I just can't wait! I hope you'll understand" he added as he looked guiltily over at his mom, he really didnt want to disappoint or upset her.

"It's fine sweetie, I know you have the travelling spirit within you and as long as your happy, im happy". She smiled at him and removed his cap to ruffle his hair.

"Well Ash ill updated your Pokedex to the Unova version so you can record and get information on all the Pokemon you encounter here" Juniper added as she handed him the latest version of the Unovan Pokedex.

Ash nodded his thanks and turned to his partner on his shoulder "Ready for another adventure Pikachu?".

"Pika!" He nodded in agreement, as eager as Ash to start a brand new journey.

Saying his farewells to his mother and the Professors, he excitedly ran off down Route 1 on the start of his new adventure, trying not to think how much he wished a certain bluenette was there to share it with him.

Delia watched her son disappear off on yet another journey and smiled to herself. "He's more and more like his father everyday".

**Unova Region - Route 1, two hours later**

Ash was really enjoying himself in the later afternoon taking in all the fantastic new sights of Unova. The air was a lot warmer than in Kanto and especially Sinnoh. He found it was a nice change and was having the time of his life trying to figure out which of the new Pokemon he would try and catch first.

He was stopped in his tracks when he noticed something coming out of the bushes at the side of the path. What emerged was a rather beat-up looking Snivy. Upon closer inspection he could tell this one was female but she was hurt pretty bad, she had bruises all over her body and her left side was cut and bleeding. She fell exhausted onto the road in front of him and he quickly ran over and picked her up worried, Pikachu mimicking his actions. "What happend to you? Dont worry ill make sure your safe" he reassured her.

"Vy Snivy" she replied faintly in thanks. Ash was disgusted, who would do this to a Pokemon and just leave it out in the wild? If that cut got infected he'd of hated to think what could have happened. He quickly rummaged through his bag and found a few supplies to help patch her up the best he could, he was no Brock but at least the older male gave him some pointers in how to treat Pokemon on the field before they parted ways. She winced in pain as he sprayed her with some super potion, then he applied a bandage to her wound to stop it from being infected. She nuzzled his chest in appreciation, unused to being treated kindly. He was just about to rush her to the Pokemon Center for treatment when Pikachu was suddenly grabbed from his shoulder and sealed in a glass dome. He looked up to see three familiar figures standing in front of him on the road. But they looked different, and he quickly realised they had new outfits. Jessie and James were now dressed in a black Team Rocket uniform instead of their usual white ones.

"You three! Are you responsible for hurting this Snivy?!" He yelled in anger, he needed to get Snivy to a Pokemon Center and really wasnt in the mood for dealing with these idiots, he wasnt even surprised to see them all the way in Unova, after all they seemed to follow him absolutely everywhere. And if they were responsible for hurting Snivy he'd give them a blasting off they wouldn't soon forget. Pikachu remained sealed in his glass container, which seemed to somehow float next to the three of them. He also saw Pikachu wasnt the only one trapped in such a device, next to him floated an identical container and inside was a Pokemon he hadn't seen before, it was small and green with two small tusks jutting out the sides of its mouth.

Jessie looked at him and wiggled her finger, tsking "Now twerp, is that how you greet old friends?" She asked giving him a sly look "And that Snivy was just too stubborn for her own good, if she had been a good girl and allowed herself to be caught then we wouldn't of had to have hurt her." She grinned wickedly and laughed slightly, as if it was somehow funny.

Ash gritted his teeth, so they were responsible, figures. He needed to figure out how to get Pikachu out and fast, as well as that other strange Pokemon. He presumed those domes where fairly resilient and electric proof but with Pikachu's new power he could probably bust through it. Despite that fact he wasnt going to allow it, if Pikachu did manage to bust out with his electricity and it then connected with Team Rocket or some poor wild Pokemon that just happened to be passing by he didn't want them to get mortally wounded by it. He hated Team Rocket but he wasnt about to kill them.

Quickly setting Snivy down on some soft grass, he reached for the one other Pokeball on his belt and thanked Arceus he had begged to come. "Gible, I choose you!".

The small land shark Pokemon materialized in front of Ash waiting for orders "Gible!"

"Alright Gible hit those containers with Dragon Rage"

Gible quickly started forming the draconic energy within his small body before launching it at them.

"I don't think so, Swoobat use air cutter to deflect!" Jessie called out her new bat Pokemon and it appeared in a flash over her head before quickly sending out two spinning blades of air to slice through the incoming attack.

James shook his head "I don't think so twerp, this time we will be taking your Pikachu".

"Pika pika!" His friend called out to him from within the container.

"Axew ax!" The other Pokemon he wasnt familiar with cried out.

Cursing under his breath he quickly took in the situation, he couldn't allow this battle to drag out because they'd try to escape. However it seemed only Jessie currently had any Pokemon to battle with so that at least made it a one on one. He suddenly remembered Gible's ability to eat through practically anything, and formulated a quick plan he hoped would work.

"Gible use Draco Metoer, and when its coming down run to the glass domes and eat your way through!"

Gible nodded his understanding and starting building up large amounts of energy within himself. "Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiib le!" He cried out as he launched a massive ball of orange draconic energy skyward before it exploded high above and rained down on the battlefield. Swoobat was doing its best to dodge all the incoming meteors, but it was newly caught and under trained and got hit straight across its back, slamming it into the floor and knocking it out. Cursing Jessie returned her Pokemon and was about to order an escape when she noticed the small dragon had actually begun to gnaw its way through the 'attack proof' containers.

"Meowth I thought you guaranteed us that nothing would be able to break out of these! The Boss will not be happy about this!" She yelled at her team mate.

"Hey, don't blame me, I made sure dat it would be attack proof, however what dat Gible is doin' aint no attack! He's just eatin through it!" Meowth tried to fend off the angered red head.

By this time Gible had successfully freed Pikachu and the other Pokemon and they scurried over to Ash.

"I think its time we took our leave, don't think this is it twerp, your Pikachu will be ours". James said confidently.

Ash was about to order Gible to give them a Dragon Rage blast off but before he could react, they had activated their jet packs and flew off. "Seems like they got some new equipment" He shook his head, that's all he needed, a well geared and organised Team Rocket.

"Great job Gible" he petted his dragon type happily.

Suddenly another figure dropped down from the tree's, Ash was instantly alert and ready to order his Pokemon to attack, Pikachu and Gible standing in front of Snivy and the unidentified Pokemon in a defensive manner. However the strange Pokemon seemed to recognise this new person and happily ran over to her in a hug. '_She must be its trainer'_ he thought.

The person in question was a girl not much younger than himself, she had long dark purple hair tied into four ponytails, and was wearing a simple white top with a pink waste band and creme three-quarter leggings with pink and white trainers. "Axew your safe!". She nuzzled the small Pokemon affectionately before turning her attention to Ash.

"Hi, thank you so much for rescuing my Axew! I was taken by surprise and they snatched him from my shoulder, ive been chasing them down for about an hour" She held her hand out for Ash to shake. "My name's Iris".

Ash took the hand "Nice to meet you Iris, Im Ash and this is Pikachu and Gible". His Pokemon waved and introduced themselves.

Iris' eyes widened at the Pokemon in front of her. Seeing a Pikachu was one thing but a Gible? Not only was it rare even outside of Unova it was also a dragon type! "Oh Arceus a Gible!" She ran over and began to embrace Gible in a crushing bear hug much to the Pokemon's displeasure.

He walked over to the side and picked up Snivy where he'd left her, he realised she'd fallen asleep, and picked her back up, "Listen Iris, Id love to stay and get to know you better but this Snivy is really hurt and she needs to get to a Pokemon Center fast, do you happen to know where the closest one is?".

She stopped embracing Gible and looked up concerned, she took note of Snivy and nodded "Yeah there's one at Accumula Town, it's just up ahead, c'mon ill take you there".

"Thank you, lets hurry, I don't want her condition to worsen".

Iris nodded and she and Ash ran off towards Accumula Town.

**Unova Region - Nuvema Town**

Dawn yawned as she noticed they where finally in Unova, the trip here had been too long for her liking and she was one of the first off the plane, stretching and allowing the blood back into her legs. She instantly noticed how much warmer it was here, being used to Sinnoh climates she felt it more than most.

Barry was out shortly after, taking everything in "Alright Unova, here I come! Ill see you around Dawn!". With that he was off, Dawn shook her head wondering where he gets his energy from, after that twelve-hour flight she was exhausted.

She quickly walked into the town's Pokemon Center which she noticed was quite a bit different from any of the others she'd been in, it was much bigger for a start. Noticing a lot of strange Pokemon she'd not seen before she walked up to Nurse joy and booked a room for the night since it was getting late and she was too tired to go searching for Ash.

She walked into her room and collapsed onto the bed, Piplup doing the same, not even find the effort to care about changing out of her clothes, and drifted off to sleep looking forward to tomorrow, because she was sure that tomorrow she would finally see Ash again.

**Next Chapter: Cilan and Love's Recipe**

**Ok longer chapter but I feel it was worth it, im starting to get into the story's main arc a bit more now and it will really start to take shape soon.**

**I've only had this story up for 3 days but it's really fun writing it so the chapter's will keep on coming. For now at least you can expect a chapter a day and ill do my best to make them as awesome as possible. Since im probably one of the biggest Pearlshippers on the planet ive got a lot of passion for these kind of stories :).**

**Thanks for reading and I hope your liking it so far.**

**Until next time. Peace out.**


	5. Cilan and Love's Recipe

**A lot more fluff involved this chapter, whether or not lemons come into this story later on and it gets pushed to an M is still undecided, I will see how it goes.**

**Not much else to say really so, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Cilan, Chilli and Cress : 18**

**Chapter 5: Cilan and Love's Recipe**

Dawn awoke early, eager to get on her way. She was determined not to let Ash get too far ahead of her and due to knowing him so well she could easily predict the path he would have taken.

She stood up and yawned, the sun was only just coming up and her Poketch said it was 7 am. Being already dressed from the night before she just smoothed out the creases in her outfit, quickly did her hair and washed up, woke a reluctant Piplup from his slumber and set off. Before leaving she'd asked Nurse Joy if Ash had indeed already come through Nuvema Town and she confirmed he had, and had apparently put some boys Snivy in a near coma state. She didn't know what that was about, but knew Ash wouldnt of done that on purpose, she made a mental note to ask him later.

She set off down Route 1, it was a cloudless day and even though it was still early, it was warm. All the native Pokemon where starting their day, bird types she'd not seen before chirping in the trees and curious chipmunk like Pokemon where watching her wearily before scurrying off in large groups. She had to admit she was enjoying herself, being in a whole new Region was still new to her and this one was about as exotic as you could get. Imagining Ash having an overload at all the new Pokemon to catch and stuff to see she giggled, Arceus she missed him.

Piplup walked beside his trainer taking in all the sights and sounds, this certainly was a strange place, it was so hot! And all these strange Pokemon where looking at him as if he were a Legendary. While all the attention and curious looks could be interpreted either way, he of course assumed it was because they knew how awesome he was, finally getting the respect he deserved. He decided he liked Unova.

Still thinking about Ash, Dawn began picturing their upcoming surprise reunion again. She honestly didn't know what she'd do if he didn't return her feelings, it would be utterly crushing to be rejected the first time she confessed, especially after making all this effort to find him. Starting to worry, she steeled herself '_Get a grip Dawn, you know Ash, he'd never hurt you'_. Relaxing slightly she filled her head with thoughts of them together, all their adventures, all their intimate hugs and high fives. All the times he'd saved her life. Trying not to swoon at that last thought she picked up her pace. The sooner she found Ash and let out her feelings the better, wether he returned them or rejected them didn't matter, she had to let him know. Keeping it bottled up was killing her and she'd regret it far too much to not tell him, she already regretted not letting him know before he left Sinnoh.

Dawn was hard in thought again, Piplup mused watching with amusement as his trainer's face had that distant far off look. She had been doing this a lot lately and he wondered what could be on her mind so much. Perhaps she was in heat and thinking about taking a mate? She certainly seemed old enough, but with Humans it was hard to tell. Pikachu was right, human courtship was a very confusing affair, he'd been convinced their trainers would mate but Ash had to leave. Why they had to stay behind, then could suddenly leave the next day still baffled him. A lot was happening alate that made no sense and he gave up trying to work it out and decided to just go along with it.

Noticing Piplup looking at her funny, she snapped out of her thoughts, which had started to get a little dirty, and she waved her arms in front of herself "No need to worry Piplup! I'm fine".

He didn't look convinced in the least but shrugged and accepted it as the best answer he was going to get.

A couple of hours into their walk and the sun was up, and the temperature was starting to rise. Dawn removed her beanie finding it too hot to keep on and put it in her bag, letting her blue hair fall free. She wondered if they had contests here, she would travel with Ash regardless but it would still be nice to compete, keep her skills sharp and work on some great combinations to use. Lost in thought, _again_, she didn't hear someone running at a fast pace right behind her. "Wait up! Wait for me!".

A young blonde haired girl, running towards Dawn, hit a rock at an awkward angle sending her colliding into the trainer and knocking them both in the tall grass at the side. The wild Pokemon scattered as they both landed hard.

"Barry! How many times must you run int-" Dawn was standing up, dusting herself off and about to scold Barry for running into her _again_ when she realised with a start that Barry had somehow become very feminine, he was wearing a skirt, his hair was longer and he had... boobs? She rubbed her eyes thinking she must have hit her head a little too hard when she fell. "Barry? Is that you?".

The girl Barry was still apologising frantically "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Huh wait who's Barry? My name's Bianca!" She was very... perky.

Dawn shook her head "Sorry, but you just look like the female version of my friend. It's scary how much you remind me of him. Uhm did you want something from me?".

Bianca suddenly remember the whole reason she came running after the bluenette "Oh yes, Professor Juniper sent me, she noticed your registration at the Pokemon Center and was expecting you to come update your Pokedex at the lab, when you didn't she asked me to bring it to you!" She smiled and starting rummaging through her bag. Sticking her tongue out as she was fishing through the amount of stuff in there. Dawn took a quick peek in, it was filled with junk and covered in dust, Bianca was not one for cleaning she mused.

After a couple of minutes of searching Bianca finally pulled out the Pokedex and held it up above her in triumph "Ahah! Found it! Here you are!" She handed it over to the bluenette.

"Thank you Bianca, by the way, my name's Dawn, and this is my partner Piplup" she said extending her hand and motioning to her starter with the other. He puffed out his chest, determined to make a good impression "Piplup!"

Bianca immediately went to Piplup, ignoring Dawn entirely "Oh my Arceus, he's so cute, I wanna cuddle him! You like that don't you Piplup? Yes you do! Arnt you the cutest?".

Dawn looked at her and sweatdropped, Piplup had a 'help me' expression on his face and she couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Uhm Bianca, I think Piplup would like it if you let go now".

"Nonsense, we're best friends, right Piplup?" In response Piplup used Water Gun on her face, and quickly escaped his hold from the crazy person and ran over to his trainer.

"Aww" Bianca looked sad, but only for a moment before her eternal happy and perky personality kicked in again. "Well it was great meeting you Dawn, but im on a journey to become a trainer myself! Toodaloo!". With that she ran off again.

"Piplup, im certain Barry had a sex change" She started laughing as she said that, the thought was hilarious and yet it would explain a lot. Piplup was also giggling. "Well at least we have a Unovan Pokedex, now we can actually see what all these Pokemon are".

She decided to give it a quick test and pointed it at the closest Pokemon she could see, it whirred and drolled on in its monotone voice " Deerling the Season Pokemon. Deerling changes its appearance depending on the seasons and has been known to startle easily". She would of loved to catch it, however her team of six was already full, and she hadn't set up any retrieval system in this Region yet. Sighing she put her Pokedex away and focused on her primary task.

Two hours later she finally arrived in a small town called Accumula. Hoping she'd caught up to her love, she ran into the Pokemon center to see if he was there. Noticing a Nurse Joy behind the desk she decided to ask. "Hi, I was wondering if a trainer by the name of Ash Ketchum is here?" Hope rising she dared hold her breath.

Nurse Joy looked at her curiously before replying "You just missed him, he left an hour ago for Striaton City for his first Gym challenge I believe. He came here with an injured Snivy he'd rescued with a girl". Dawn's heart stopped at that last word '_He has a girl with him? Already? Are they just friends, or was it love at first sight? Oh no have I been replaced?!'_ .

Forcing her jealousy down, she gritted her teeth "Could you please point me in the direction of Striaton City".

Nurse Joy nodded and pointed to a map behind her, it wasnt far it looked like, a three-hour walk at most. "Thank you" with that she was off determined not to let Ash fall for some girl he'd just met, she wasnt going to lose him! Not now she was so close.

**Unova Region - Striaton City **

"Finally, Striaton City!" Ash announced, he was pumped to be here, time to get his first Unova Gym badge. His stomach suddenly growled and he scratched the back of his head "Well maybe we can get lunch before we head off to the Gym".

"Your such a kid" Iris, who'd decided to tag along sighed at her partners actions. "Let's go find someplace to eat, ive heard Striaton is famous for its restaurants!" She smiled warmly at him.

"Sounds good to me, let's go!".

As they walked around the city searching for a nice place to sit down for a bit and have a meal, a young man with green hair, pulled back and spiked up at the front approached them. "Say an Axew!"

He handed Iris an apple and she gave it to her partner who had his head popped out of her hair, "Axew!" He happily grabbed the apple and started to chomp down on it. "Wow thanks, that was kind of you, wasnt it Axew?" She smiled as her Pokemon nodded "Axew ax".

"Soft skin as fresh as new grass, tusk's like newly sprouted young shoots and a future as bright and limitless as the early morning sun! The perfect partner for a young lady who seems at one with nature" he said putting his finger in the air and smiling.

"Wow, thanks so much!" Iris replied, "Axew" her partner added, still chomping his apple.

"Pika?" Pikachu looked at him confusedly. He couldn't make any sense of what he'd just heard.

The stranger quickly turned his gaze when he heard that and took sight of Pikachu for the first time. His eyes started to sparkle and a light blush appeared on his cheeks. " A Pikachu?! It's a Pikachu!". He walked over and picked up Ash's starter staring at him in wonder.

"Piii" Pikachu let out in exasperation. This guy was clearly crazy.

"It's the first time ive seen one up close!" He proceeded to examine every inch of the Pokemon, "Hello there" he smiled warmly.

Pikachu sweatdropped " Pika pika...".

"Say, you've really got yourself a rare Pokemon you know?" He asked turning to Ash.

"Well you see we're from Kanto, and Pikachu was my first Pokemon. We've travelled everywhere together and he's become my best buddy. My name's Ash" he introduced himself.

"How do you do, my name's Cilan, a Pokemon Connoisseur" he bowed slightly.

"I've honestly never heard of a Pokemon Connoisseur before, what exactly do you do?" Ash asked curious.

"Not surprising you havent heard of it before, it's not very common outside of Unova. I use my knowledge and experience to judge the compatibility of trainer's and their Pokemon. I then help them form closer relationships, and that's the job of a Pokemon Connoisseur" Cilan explained.

"Say Cilan, would you happen to know of any decent restaurants around here? We were actually looking to get a bite to eat before Ash challenges the Gym" Iris asked after he'd finished.

"Well of course, I can show you to one if you'd like? It's a pleasant little cafe that has the perfect blend of food and hospitality".

"That'd be great thanks" she smiled.

Ash and Iris followed Cilan to a cafe in a quiet corner of the city, it was neat and tidy and a few people were sat outside eating.

"Well it was a pleasure meeting you both" Cilan bowed to them, "But if you excuse me I have to get back to my job". He looked at Ash as he said that, who noticed the look but just shrugged it off, eager to get to his food.

"It was great meeting you too, thanks for everything Cilan" Ash added before shaking the older man's hand.

"Yeah thank's Cilan" Iris added before he took his leave back into the city.

They quickly found a nice table and ordered a quick meal, Ash having a cheeseburger and fries while Iris ordered herself a fruit salad. "Alright guy's come on out, time to chow down!" He announced as he grabbed two Pokeball's from his belt and opened them, revealing Gible and his new team-mate Snivy.

After rushing her to the Pokemon Center, she had been put in the treatment room for an hour before she was placed in a bed to rest for the night, Nurse Joy reassured him she'd make a full recovery, but Ash insisted that he be able to stay with her. He'd slept next to Snivy's bed that night wanting to make sure the small grass snake was going to be ok. Snivy had awoke to find the trainer who had saved her life asleep in a chair next to her, she was shocked to say the least. The last trainer she'd had, had mistreated her badly and she had been released into the wild after he was done with her, only to find herself being hunted by Team Rocket. She assumed all trainers would treat her like that but seeing the way he cared for her and protected her yesterday she realised there were good trainers out there after all. That he'd worried enough about her to sleep in her room with her to make sure she was ok made her blush, and she vowed she wanted him as her new trainer.

Ash had awaken to find Snivy staring at him, he was glad she was fine and after a quick chat with her he had decided to go wake Iris and be on his way. He didn't make it out of the Pokemon Center before she came running after him hugging his leg, realising she wanted to come with him. He asked Nurse Joy if she belonged to anyone, he didn't want to steal someone's Pokemon, but she shook her head and told him this Snivy had been abandoned. Ash got slightly angry remembering the previous days events, and wondered who would give up such a great little Pokemon, let alone hurt it willingly. Asking Snivy if she'd like to come with him on his journey and receiving a very enthusiastic nod, he pulled a Pokeball off his belt, enlarged it and tapped her lightly on her head sucking her inside in a red beam of light. It shook once then pinged signalling capture. Happy with his new team-mate and friend he and Iris had made their way to Striaton City for his first Gym Battle of Unova.

Snivy now stood next to Gible, Pikachu and Axew, eating from her food bowl. It turns out she was quite confident and really skilled in battle, naturally being good at dodging attacks with ease and being able to pack quite a punch, which he found out in a few trainer battles on his way here.

Snivy kept glancing at Pikachu, but every time he turned to see what was up she would look away blushing, he prayed he wouldn't have another Buneary situation here. But had to admit he didn't mind it as much, Snivy did look good...

"So Ash, you ready for your Gym Battle?" Iris asked as they finished their meals.

"Yeah im psyched! You ready too guys?" He asked his Pokemon, to which he got a resounding chorus of cries "Great so let's get our first Unova Gym Badge!" They all cheered, but once again Dawn came to mind, this would be the first Gym Battle he'd had in a long time without her there cheering for him, he was really gonna miss all those encouraging words only she seemed able to say to him. Her cheers where always the best.

Iris noted Ash's face lost in thought again, he'd been like that in the few trainer battles they'd had since coming here and she was curious what was taking up his thoughts so much. "Hey Ash, whats on your mind?".

He snapped back to reality noticing Iris' questioning stare "Uh it's nothing, no need to worry!".

But she wasnt letting him off that easy "C'mon don't be such a kid! Tell me whats bothering you, it'll help to talk about it".

Sighing knowing she wasnt going to drop it he replied "I've just been thinking about a friend, and im going to miss them very much".

"Just a friend huh? It seems to me like whoever this person is means a lot more to you that just being a friend, could it be possible your in love?" She asked winking and raising an eyebrow, the smile on her face growing when he started to turn red and pull his cap down to hide his blush.

"W-what, n-no of course not! She's just a f-friend!" He didn't sound very convincing, not even to himself.

"So it is a girl you've been thinking about! I knew it, so this girl you love, who is she? What's she like?" Iris pressed, she was enjoying this.

"Uh her name's Dawn, we travelled together for two years through Sinnoh, and she's ... amazing" Iris smirked and Ash realised he'd walked into her trap.

"So you admit you love her" She teased.

Ash didn't think he could possibly be any redder, but and pulled his cap further down, praying to Arceus no one was watching and that this conversion would end soon. He tried to respond to Iris but found his mouth refusing to work.

Iris looked at him and giggled "Oh Ash, you are such a kid you know? If you like this girl just tell her, that way you'll know if she likes you back or not and where you stand. Trust me it will be better than just keeping it all bottled in".

Ash actually considered that, it was at a point already where he no longer denied his feelings for the bluenette to himself, not that he was ready to admit it to others, but he'd not actually considered telling her. Besides she was in Sinnoh, even if he did tell her how he felt, he couldn't be with her because they where so far apart. He sighed wishing she'd of been able to come with him. He noticed Iris was still smirking at him, she was having too much fun teasing him with this, so he decided to return the favour. "What if I told you, it was you I was thinking about?"

Iris's face instantly went red and she looked at him with wide eyes, shock evident on her features. She sat back in her chair and tried to reply but this time found her mouth not working and was getting flustered. She hadn't been expecting that!

Ash watched her for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

She quickly sobered and realised he'd had her. Getting angry she walked over and started hitting him "That's not funny Ash Ketchum!".

Even the Pokemon where laughing, and she turned around to glare at them as they continued to roll around giggling.

"See even the Pokemon agree, your face was priceless!" Ash laughed again as he continued to receive a beating from his friend. Finally he sobered "Alright im sorry!".

Iris glared at him but grudgingly accepted his apology and stopped beating him. "Dont you have a Gym Battle to be going to?" She snapped.

Ash's eyes widened as he remembered his Gym Battle "Yeah your right, ok everyone return!". Returning all his Pokemon to their Pokeball's, he and Iris made their way to the Striaton Gym. They stood in front of the Gym and looked at it, it certainly wasnt like any other Gym he'd been to recently. "This is the Gym?".

Iris checked the map again and nodded "Yeah this is the place". She looked doubtful though, to her it looked like a fancy restaurant.

They both shrugged and headed inside, "Alright im here to challenge the Gym Lea-" Ash stopped as he entered into a fine dining area where people were sat down eating, starting at him. He turned his confused gaze back at Iris "You said this was the Gym?".

She looked around, trying to make sense of it all, was the map wrong? She was sure she had the latest version picked up before she left the Village of Dragons. "Well the map says this is the place...".

Ash was about to respond when they were suddenly approached by three young men in waiter's outfits. He noticed they all looked very similar except for their difference in hair, one had green hair pulled pack with a spiked up fringe, the second had long blue hair draped down over his face and the third had fiery red hair in a wild spiky manner to resemble a flame. Ash recognised Cilan immediately and shared a gasp with Iris.

(This next part is pretty Cannon)

"Hi welcome" called out the fiery red head.

"Welcome friends" said the man with blue hair.

"Please make yourself at home" Cilan finished with a bow.

"But?" Ash got no further as he and Iris where promptly moved into the restaurant and placed at a table.

"Are you comfy?" Cilan asked.

"Are you ready to order?" the red head came forward with a pen and paper.

"May I start you off with something to drink?" Ash found a menu shoved in front of him by the bluenette.

Ash sweatdropped and declined "No thanks, I think..."

"Change your mind? I highly recommend the Soda Pop"

"No thanks, not thirsty" he put his hands up in defensive gesture.

"Alright, we have a reasonably priced lunch menu" the red head spoke up again.

"Not hungry either" this was getting annoying, couldn't these fruitcake's take no for an answer? And where was the Gym?

"Pika pi" his partner sighed.

He was then barraged by offers of food and drink, until he couldn't take it anymore. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I JUST WANT TO HAVE A STRIATON CITY GYM BATTLE!".

Everyone in the room went silent before a group of girls stood up and clasped their hands in anticipation. "Gym battle?!" They asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's the whole reason we came here! But it looks like we have the wrong place, c'mon Pikachu, Iris". Ash got up to leave but was stopped when Cilan spoke up and the lights dimmed.

"Just a minute".

"Huh?" Ash watched as the three of them made their way to the back of the room and a spotlight come on above Cilan.

"Alright then Ash! I'll grant your request!" Cilan spun and pointed at him.

"So you're a challenger? You'll receive a welcome as pleasant and hot as the noon day sun!" The red head announced.

"No, I think we should be cool like a refreshing glass of water, chilled of course". The bluenette added.

The fangirls from the table started swooning, and Ash looked at them with disbelief. "Pikachu, what are they talking about?".

"Pika?" He has no clue either.

"This is the Striaton Gym, and the three of us" Cilan motioned, and the other two came closer.

"And the three of us" said the red head.

"We're triplet brothers" added the bluenette.

"And we're the Gym Leaders" They said in unison.

Ash and Iris exchanged glances. "Three Gym Leaders? And their brothers?" Iris questioned.

"Now it's... show time" They said and Cilan snapped his fingers as the back wall started to slide away to reveal the battlefield behind the restaurant.

(Cannon end)

**Unova Region - Striaton City**

Dawn finally made it, Striaton City. She had pushed herself quite hard and was quite a bit out of breath, but she was determined not to let Ash slip through her grasp, he was here, she knew it.

Piplup was bent over catching his breath, Dawn had really set a hard pace to get here. Something had her motivated, she didn't even stop for breaks. Piplup wished he shared her enthusiasm to draw energy from because he was exhausted. "Piplup pip".

Dawn looked down at her starter noticing what she'd put him through, "Sorry Piplup, but I couldn't stop, if we had we might not have been able to catch up with Ash, and there is no way im letting him travel around with another girl". She said that last part with obvious jealousy.

He nodded finally knowing why they where there and what the big rush was. So it seemed she had decided to start mating and had obviously chosen to mark Ash as her own. Apparently some other female was threatening to mark him so he could understand her.

Quickly moving toward the Pokemon Center with Piplup in tow, Dawn entered and moved to the front desk. "Hi, sorry to bother you but has a trainer by the name of Ash Ketchum stopped by here recently?" She asked. He had to be here! He had to be!

Nurse Joy checked her computer and nodded "Yes he stopped by an hour ago to restore his Pokemon, if I remember correctly he was getting ready to challenge the Gym".

Dawn was celebrating on the inside, she'd finally caught up with him! "Where about's is the Gym?" She asked impatiently.

Nurse Joy pointed on the map of the town behind her to a certain building and Dawn nodded in thanks before rushing out. She knew where he was, and was finally going to see him.

Finding the building in question she stood outside, suddenly quite anxious and not knowing how to proceed. She'd told herself she would cross this bridge when she got to it and now she was here. All her doubts and worry started crawling back at her and with a mental effort she pushed them all down, took a deep breath, and took the plunge. She walked through the doors and was greeted by an empty restaurant with a passage at the back, which she assumed would take them to the battlefield, there was a side set of stairs to the side, leading up, which would probably lead to the spectator stands so she took those.

Walking up the stairs her heart started to beat faster, Ash was right here, and she was trying her best not to sweat. She finally emerged into the stands and looked across to see a large group of girls at one end with loved up expressions and dreamy stares. Closer to her she saw an ebony skinned female with her hair tied into four ponytails and a strange green Pokemon with tusks looking out of it.

Then she turned her attention to the battlefield. On one side was a young man with long blue hair swept over his face, he stood on a podium with a blue monkey-like Pokemon in front of him, she assumed this guy was the Gym Leader. Turning her gaze across to the other side her eyes fell on Ash and her heart stopped briefly. He still had his unruly black hair, she loved so much, under a cap that was slightly different in colour, he also now wore a short-sleeved blue and white zipper hoodie and black leggings with red and black shoes. His hands still encased in his famous fingerless gloves. He had a new Pokemon in front of him, and she didn't recognise it either, it looked serpentine in nature and it stood on two small legs.

Moving over to an open area next to the girl she assumed was now traveling with Ash, trying her hardest not to glare down the other female, she opened her Pokedex and scanned the new Pokemon to check them out. She first scanned Ash's and her Pokedex whirred out, "Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokemon, being exposed to sunlight makes its movements swifter. It uses its vines more deftly than its hands". She then proceeded to scan the blue Pokemon on the other side of the field, "Panpour, the Spray Pokemon, the water stored inside it's head is full of nutrients. It waters plants with them using its tail". Nodding she put her Pokedex back and got ready to watch the match, Ash hadn't noticed her yet but Iris had.

The sound of the Pokedex speaking brought Iris' attention to a new arrival, she had long navy blue hair held in place with clips, and she wore a black sleeveless top over a white undershirt, a very short pink miniskirt and knee-length black socks coming from large pink boots. Iris had never seen this girl before but she was stood on Ash's side so she assumed it was someone coming to cheer for him. Someone he knew perhaps? A thought struck her, could it be her? Iris smiled, if it was Ash would be in for quite a shock.

Backdown on the battlefield Ash was getting into his battle mode, normally challengers only have to beat one Striaton Gym Leader but he'd challenged all three, and if he won two out of three he'd get his first badge. His opponent that had introduced himself as Cress had called out a water type, and seeing a perfect opportunity to try out his new Snivy, he called her out in her first Gym Battle. She looked pumped and ready to go and he was proud of her for it. Not many Pokemon are this steady in their first Gym challenge. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of blue hair up in the stands, but didn't have a time to check, besides it couldn't be _her_ could it? Shaking his head he focused on the battle at hand.

Cilan had come up into the middle of the battlefield to act as a referee "Are both sides ready?" After receiving a nod from both he threw down his flags "Then let the battle begin!".

"The challenger can have the first move" Cress said cooly.

"Fine by us, Snivy start off with Vine Whip". Ash quickly commanded.

"Snivy" She confirmed as two long tentacle-like vines extended from Snivy's neck and headed straight for Panpour, aiming to wrap around it and bind its arms and legs.

"Panpour dodge and counter with Scald!" Cress issued.

Panpour tried to do as commanded but found that Snivy's vines where too quick and much to his and Cress's surprise proceeded to wrap around him and lift him up into the air.

"Snivy, smash Panpour into the rocks!" Ash told his grass-type.

"Sniiiiivy, vy , vy , vy" She called out while repeatedly smashing Panpour against the rocks littering the battlefield, before finally launching him back at his trainer. He finally skidded to a halt and got up bruised but not beaten.

"Panpour try scald one more time!" Cress was stuck, against a grass type there wasnt much he could do and trying to get a burn off was the best tactic, it would lower his opponent's attack and slowly tick away at their health.

"Pan panpour!" He opened his mouth and scolding hot water shot forth in a powerful jet towards Snivy. Without the need for Ash's command she quickly dodged out of the way and took shelter behind a boulder as the stream followed her.

Ash was impressed, she had really good reflexes "Snivy finish this with Leaf Tornado!".

"Snivy" she nodded before jumping up into the air, just as Panpour's scald attack faded, a funnel of leaves spiralled around her "Snivyvyvyvyvyvy Snivy". She launched her attack towards Panpour in hopes of knocking out the aquatic monkey.

"Panpour use dig to dodge!" Cress called out in panic, he couldn't let that attack hit or it was over.

Panpour quickly dug underground and dodged the whirlwind of leaves. Snivy landed and looked around suspiciously trying to anticipate where he would surface.

Ash narrowed his eyes "Snivy watch the ground carefully, when you see a rumble jump up into the air and use Vine Whip on that spot!".

Snivy nodded her understanding and narrowed her eyes, she watched patiently, waiting for her opponent to surface. There, she saw the rock rumbling slightly to her right, quickly leaping into the air and whipping out her vines. Panpour burst out the ground only to find Snivy gone, he had just enough time to look up before a long green vine whipped around and smashed into his face sending him crashing through a boulder and imprinting him into the wall of the arena. His eyes were replaced with swirls and he was out of the battle.

"Panpour no!" Cress cried out looking over his battered up Pokemon.

Cilan raised his flag "Panpour is unable to battle, the first round goes to Snivy and the challenger".

Up in the stands, Dawn let out a cheer, she couldn't help herself. "Way to go Ash! You've got this!".

Ash, recognising that voice, felt himself tense up and he quickly looked up at the stands. Dawn. She was here. How? That was the first question that came into his mind but he quickly dismissed it, and took notice of her appearance. She looked almost the same as when he'd seen her last except her beanie was off. His eyes then locked with hers as they had so many times before. Auburn and sapphire drinking in each other. He felt his cheeks heat up and he felt warm all over, but a large smile spread across his face. Dawn was here and cheering for him, now he couldn't lose. Before he turned back to his fight he swore he saw he blush, but she looked away before he could tell.

Iris smirked, it seems it was that girl! How interesting.

Chili stepped up next, after his brother had returned his fainted Pokemon and stood at the side to watch the rest of the match.

"Pansear, lets add some fire to this match!" He called out as he threw his Pokeball on the field, it snapped open and revealed a similar Pokemon to one used by his brother except it was red skinned and its tufts of fur where different.

Ash quickly scanned it with his Pokedex to get the information he needed, then recalled Snivy. "Snivy return, you did a great job for your first Gym Battle, take a nice long rest". Pikachu looked up at him in hopes of being picked for the next round but Ash shook his head, "Sorry Pikachu, your gonna have to sit this one out, with your new power it wouldn't even be a contest and even without it your still too strong".

"Pikachu pikapi" Pikachu looked disappointed but nodded in understanding, although he was keen to test out his new abilities in an official Gym Battle he understood Ash. He hopped on over to the side to watch the rest of the match.

Pulling his hat backwards Ash grabbed his second Pokeball, enlarged it and threw it up in the air. "Gible, I choose you!".

The small land shark Pokemon materialized on Ash's side of the field and took up his battle stance "Gible!".

Iris squealed out in joy "Yay! He's using Gible! Look Axew we get to watch Gible in a Gym Battle!".

"Axew ax axew" her Pokemon nodded in excitement, he was curious to see what the other dragon type was capable of.

"Huh, Ash brought his Gible to Unova". Dawn wondered how that came to pass, she assumed he'd be starting fresh like he did in Sinnoh and only bring his Pikachu, but she was happy to see the little guy. She wasnt quite so happy with this new girls reaction, how close were those two? Focusing back on Ash she got ready to cheer him on, not about to be outdone by the girl or the fangirls who were wearing cheerleading outfits on the other side of the room. She wished she'd worn her own now.

Piplup deadpanned. Out of ALL the Pokemon Ash could choose to bring as an extra in his journey to Unova, he had to take Gible. Of course he did. Piplup sighed and decided to find cover in preparation for a Draco Meteor, he was sure that one of the projectiles would find him at some point.

Cilan raised both his flags, "Are both sides ready to continue?" Receiving a nod from both he once again threw them down "Then let the battle resume!".

Chili was straight out of the block with his first command " Pansear use Bulk Up!".

"Pan Pansear!" Pansear was outlined with energy and he flexed his muscles as he boosted his stats.

"Huh, Bulk Up?" It was a move Ash wasnt familiar with, from the name he guessed it was a stat raiser and only got it confirmed from Chili.

"It's a move that boosts Pansear's attack and defence" he smirked, "Now Pansear use bulk up again!".

Pansear again began boosting its stats. Ash knew what he was doing '_He's overcoming the type disadvantage with stat boosts, we'll have to end this before he can boost too high and nullify our advantage'_. "Gible use Dragon Rage whilst its boosting up!".

"Giiible" Gible began building up the blue draconic energy deep within himself ready to fire it at his opponent. Opening his large mouth wide he erupted a beam of energy shaped like a dragon straight at Pansear who was still using Bulk Up and unable to dodge. The attack slammed into him and sent him smashing into a boulder.

Chili swore, "Pansear use dig!".

Quickly recovering from the powerful dragon type move, thanks to the raised defence from Bulk Up, Pansear leapt into the air and burrowed underground.

"Watch the ground for movement Gible, be ready for when he surfaces!" Ash and Gible began to once again survey the ground for any signs that would give away Pansear's location.

Chili smiled, "Use flamethrower!".

"Huh?" Ash had no time to call a command before the ground underneath Gible burst open with a torrent of fire catching the small dragon type in a cone of flames. Gible grunted and fell to one knee where he'd suffered a burn.

"Yes! We got a burn off!" Chili celebrated, he'd seriously weakened Ash's chances now, Gible was slowly losing health as well as having his attack power cut.

"Hang in there Gible, I know you can do it!" Hearing the encouraging words from his trainer Gible stood up straight and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's the way!".

The problem Ash was faced with was that Pansear was still underground and could keep popping up flamethrowers as he pleased with no way of Gible returning fire. He had to get him out of there fast, but how? An idea came into his head, it was crazy and had a huge risk of backfiring but he smiled seeing how it could work. "Gible use dig yourself".

Gible quickly burrowed underground and awaited his next order.

Chili raised a brow, wondering what Ash was planning, neither of them could see their opponent's Pokemon.

"Now Gible, use Draco Meteor!".

Everyone's eye's widened, and Iris nearly fell over. "Is he crazy?! An underground Draco Meteor is insane, he'll blow up the entire field and probably knock out his own Pokemon in the process".

Dawn shook her head. "Ash is up to something, and knowing Ash, it will work, ull see".

Iris looked at her agape wondering what this new girl knew that she didn't.

Chili wasnt sure what would happen to his Pansear when the Draco Meteor went off so he quickly ordered "Quick Pansear get out of the ground now!".

"Now Gible!" Before Pansear could get clear the entire ground shook, and a huge explosion of dirt and rock went flying everywhere. Both Pokemon where flung high into the air from their underground hideouts, getting pelted with rock chips from the shattered boulders.

A lone streak of draconic energy found its way out of the ground and headed up into the air, before slowly spiralling down towards a very anxious looking Piplup. He hid under a chair to try to use it as cover, but the ball of energy instead hit the floor next to him and _bounced_ straight into his face. A blackened and charred Piplup collapsed to the floor "Piiiiiiipluuuuuuup".

Ash knew he needed to act now while the chaos of the move was distracting his opponent. "Gible stable yourself and use Dragon Rage!" He hoped he could inflict some serious damage before Pansear realised what was going on.

Gible tried to do as asked but it wasnt an easy task, he formed the energy within himself and launched it at his foe, only as a chunk of rock fell in front of him and connected with the attack. The ensuing explosion sent Gible hurtling towards the floor and he slid towards Ash on the torn up battlefield.

Ash swore, "Gible are you ok?"

Gible was trying his best to rise to his feet, after the turmoil from the underground Draco Meteor to facing a point black explosion from his own Dragon Rage he wasnt feeling too great, on top of that the burn effect was still hurting him.

"Come on Gible, I know you can do it, you have to get up! I believe in you!".

Gible forced himself to his feet, hearing the belief and trust in Ash's words it gave him strength and power to draw from. "Gible!" He shouted out before his form took on a white glow, and started to change shape.

"Oh wow, look Axew, Gible is evolving!" Iris exclaimed happily, more than happy at seeing a draconic evolution.

"Axewwww" Axew watched in awe as the other Pokemon began changing shape.

Gible's form began to get bigger, his legs and arms extended and his head ended up becoming perched on top of a neck instead of it being infused into his body. He grew two fin like blades off his arms and his hands ended in two large claws. Spikes jutted out from his knees and his tail grew and extended along with the fin on his back. His colour took on a deeper hue of blue, whilst his front section turned red. When the glowing stopped, he stood and stretched his new body "Gabite", he smiled.

"Alright Gible! You evolved, way to go!" Ash cheered, his Pokemon had pulled through when he needed him to and he was eternally grateful of the effort.

"You can do it Ash! There's no way you can lose now!" Dawn called out from the stands. She saw Ash turn to her and smile, and she couldn't help her face heat up.

Chili didn't like the look of this, that Gabite looked powerful and his Pansear was already weakened from the battle. He could have beaten the Gible he felt, but now we had serious doubts. He wasnt about to give up and throw in the towel however. "Ok Pansear, let's wrap this up, use Flamethrower full power!".

"Pansear!" Pansear drew in a large amount of air, then used all his remaining energy in a strong torrent of fire spewing from his mouth.

"Alright Gabite, let's try one of your new moves! Use Dragon Rush full power!" Ash was confident he had this match and watched for the outcome.

Gabite leapt up and a blue aura of draconic power emitted from the jet-like protrusions on the side of his head, and he dove straight towards the incoming fire attack as a cone of energy formed around him.

Both trainer's watched with anticipation as both attacks met in the middle of the field, neither gaining ground for a second, before Gabite pushed through and smacked straight into a surprised Pansear, sending him careening into the arena wall with swirls in his eyes.

"Pansear is unable to battle, which means the round and the match goes to Ash Ketchum the challenger" Cilan announced raising a flag.

Ash ran onto the field and embraced Gabite in a hug "Alright Gabite, you did it!" He laughed happily.

Iris and Dawn both lets out cheers of congratulations whilst the fangirl cheerleaders let out defeated sigh's. "See I told you he had something planned" Dawn said as she turned to face the other girl with a satisfied smirk.

"Yeah he planned for that evolution to win him the match" Iris deadpanned.

"That's just how Ash is, you never know what he will come up with in a battle, but it's always amazing to watch... he's amazing". She took on a dreamy look and Iris grinned, oh these two were in for some fun later she mused.

"You did a great job Pansear, return" Chili returned his Pokemon and walked over to Ash along with Cress and Cilan. "That was a great battle Ash".

"Yeah it was, you guys did a great job and im proud to have won my first Gym Badge in Striaton City". He replied shaking their hands.

"Speaking of your Badge, here it is" Cilan brought forth a case and inside resting on a velvet cloth was the Badge. It had two arrowhead shaped sides with a small green gem on each coming from a small circular center with a small red gem. "The Trio Badge, its yours".

Ash picked it up and did his victory pose "Alright! I just got... The Trio Badge". Pikachu, Gabite and Snivy jumped up and did a peace sign each.

Dawn watched and giggled "Still the same old Ash".

Iris rolled her eyes "Yeah and he's such a kid".

Shooting an annoyed glance at the ebony female, Dawn started to make her way down the stairs back to the restaurant area. Ash, Cilan, Chili and Cress had just come through from the arena when she reached the bottom. Seeing him standing before her, her instincts took over and she ran up to him and embraced him in a loving hug. Ash was momentarily surprised by her reaction but quickly returned it, enjoying the fruity smell of her hair and the feeling of her body molded against his. "Congratulations on your Badge Ash. Ive missed you so much" she spoke into his shoulder.

"I've missed you too, but what are you doing here? Arn't you supposed to be doing a fashion designer job in Heartholme City?" He asked rather curiously.

Someone nearby cleared their throat and the two of them looked up to see all eyes starting at them in amusement. They quickly broke apart and blushed. "Ill tell you later" she quickly added.

Ash nodded and they all made their way out of the Gym. Saying their farewells to the three brothers, Ash, Iris and Dawn made their way to the Pokemon Center. It was getting late and they where all tired from the days events. As Ash and Iris picked up their room keys for the rooms they reserved earlier that day, Dawn realised that she had forgotten, in her rush to find Ash, to get herself a room. "Excuse me Nurse Joy, are there any rooms left?".

Nurse Joy did a quick check and shook her head "I'm sorry we're full up at the moment".

"It's ok you can share with me if you want?" The ebony skinned girl asked, "And we never did introduce ourselves did we? My names Iris".

"Hi Iris, my names Dawn" she took the other girls hand and shook it. Still unsure what to make of her.

"Well what do you say, it would be better than sleeping out in the wild".

Dawn shifted anxiously from foot to foot, she wanted some alone time with Ash so she could tell him how she felt. Steeling herself but unable to stop the blush on her face she forced out "Actually... Ash could I-I share w-with you?".

Ash nearly choked when she asked that, his face went bright red and he looked like he wanted to run away as fast as possible. Dawn turned her gaze to Iris. She saw the need in her eyes and decided to help her out. "Dont be such a kid Ash, share with your friend it will be fine!". She slapped him on the back and starting moving him towards his room.

Dawn giggled as she watched and followed suit. They all arrived at Ash's assigned room and Iris quickly left "Ok you two, have fun!" She laughed cheekily at the glares she received before running off to her own room and shutting the door.

Ash and Dawn sat on the bed, having so much they wanted to say to each other but neither of them daring to do so. Ash thought about everything he'd been feeling about the bluenette alate and everything that everyone had told him. Dawn was starting to feel awkward and that this was probably a bad idea when Ash spoke up. "Dawn there's something ive been meaning to tell you".

Her heart sped up, was he about to say what she hoped he would? Did he really share her feelings?

"I've been feeling different ever since we parted ways, at first I didn't know what was wrong with me. All I could do was think about you, all the times we shared and crazy stuff we ended up doing. On the boat that took me from Sinnoh I just had a strong urge to come back to you and hold you close, I had no idea what that meant so I asked Brock. I had a similar experience back home and here in Unova, no matter what I did or where I went, you where always on my mind and the thought of being with you made me happy".

Dawn's breath hitched, her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest and she was finding it hard not to blush.

"I finally realised what it is I was feeling, and im worried that you wont feel the same but I have to let you know because you deserve to. You're the most amazing person ive ever met Dawn, and I... I-I Lo-Love Yo-". He didn't get a chance to finish as he found Dawn's lips smashing against his own and kissing him passionately, her arms snaking around his neck. Surprised, he didn't react immediately and just sat there wide eyed in shock, but he soon returned the kiss with gusto and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close. He was loving the feeling of their first kiss, her lips where soft and smooth and he could taste her lipglosss. After a couple of minutes they had to break their kiss to breath, and they both turned and rested their foreheads together, gazing intently into each others eyes, a massive grin spread across both their faces.

"Oh Ash, here I was so worried that you wouldn't feel the same and id have to come up with some cheesy speech to tell you, and you go and do it for me, you never cease to surprise me" She giggled giving him a chaste kiss.

"You know I was worried that you wouldn't like me, ive never felt like this before and I was dreading that you'd like someone else or that you'd only see me as a friend an-" again he was cut off by her lips. This time he could feel her tongue looking for an entrance into his mouth and he allowed it, experiencing another new sensation for the first time. Their tongue's wrestled for dominance in his mouth while they continued kissing fiercely. When they finally had to break for air, Dawn stood up and pulled his cap off, placing it on her own head. Ash watched her slightly confused before she continued.

"You have no need to worry there Ash Ketchum" she said pulling the hat back in Ash's famous manner, she then mock threw a Pokeball at him and leaned down so her face was inches from his own " Because I choose you!". She giggled and kissed him and they both rolled onto the bed lost in each other.

"So Dawn, will you... be my... g-girlfriend?" He finally asked her as they laid snuggling up to each other on the single bed.

"Of course Ash" she replied resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around him, "I love you". He smiled happily, pulling her closer kissing the top of her head. He was about to respond but heard her snoring lightly and realised she'd fallen asleep in his arms.

He laid back and drifted off himself, feeling the happiest he'd been in a long time.

**Next Chapter : My Name is N**

**Long chapter, but I had to make it this long to get everything in that I wanted.**

**Sorry for not posting it last night, I was out until 11 pm and got to work on it straight away, I was typing until 4:20 am and realised there wasnt any chance of finishing it before I slept so I had to delay it until today. I will get a second chapter up later today though, so you get two large chapters today!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the shippy goodness at the end.**

**Until next time, peace out.**


	6. My Name is N

**Hello everyone, hope you're enjoying the story so far.**

**Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, favorited and followed, it means a lot.**

**Anyway on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.**

**Ages: **

**N : 21**

**Chapter 6 - My name is N**

**Striaton City - Unova Region**

The sun was cresting the hill as a young man reached the city limits, his clothes were torn and he was bleeding in places. He held a small Pokemon in his arms and was looking around wearily. Sounds and shouts from the nearby forest quickly spurred him into action and he sprinted to the Pokemon Center. "Dont worry little one your safe now" he smiled gently at the small Zorua nestled against him.

Upon entering the center he stumbled over to the front desk "Please, help this Pokemon, she's been hurt badly by poachers and needs immediate care!" Nurse Joy stood looking at him for several moments,before quickly taking the small black fox out of his arms and into the care of an Audino who took it back to the operating room.

"It looks like you'll need some help too, ill go get some disinfectant and some bandages, wait right here!" She looked him over worriedly as he was barely standing.

"Thank you, but please make sure Zorua is safe" he called out as she went to the first aid kit. Quickly coming back and patching him up, he'd had several nasty gashes along his arms, legs and chest, she sat him down and looked him over. He had long bushy green hair that extended down his back in a ponytail and framed his face nicely, he wore a white shirt over a black top, beige pants and light and dark green shoes. On his head rested a black and grey baseball cap and he had a miniature ringed planet around his neck, his wrists had decorative cuffs on them and a rubix cube swung from his hip. He was tall but quite thin and carried himself with confidence.

"Could I please get your name, sir?" She asked him curiously, wanting to know who this strange man was.

"My name is N" he said.

**Striaton City - Two hours later**

She awoke from a blissful slumber and yawned slightly, the sun was up but she was too comfy to move and snuggled her head back into the comfy hoody and toned chest beneath it. Wait toned chest? Dawn looked up and saw Ash's sleeping face and smiled as last nights events came back to her. She had to admit he looked really handsome, the two years they had known each other had been good to him and he was maturing into quite the looker, along with his deep, husky voice it was enough to drive her crazy. Right now he looked really peaceful and she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair from his face, wanting to feel it in her hands. As she started running the lock through her fingers he stirred slightly and she quickly pulled her hand away hoping not to wake him. He opened his eyes and looked down at her, with that smile that she loved so much and could melt any girls heart. "Good morning" he said.

"Morning, you make a comfy pillow" she giggled putting her head back on his chest.

Ash started slowly stroking her soft blue hair and sighed happily, he and Dawn had finally found each other, and he was determined to keep her close. He wouldn't lose her now.

Dawn was somewhat aware that they were still both fully dressed, and the last thing she remembered was cuddling with Ash, she assumed they must have just fallen asleep like that. Not wanting to get up but feeling somewhat embarrassed as she realised that the clothes she was wearing she hadn't taken off for two days straight. Slowly getting up and stretching she stood up and grabbed some fresh clothes and underwear "Alright im taking a shower, catching up with you didn't give me much of a chance to have one" she playfully hit him.

"Sorry for that, it's a long story, a lot has happened in the short time ive been here" he scratched the back of his head, getting up himself.

"I look forward to hearing about it" giving him a quick kiss she walked into the bathroom and got in the shower.

Ash started to get changed himself, trying his hardest not to look into Dawn's bag which was left open and displaying all her... delicates, he quickly changed into a clean version of his outfit whilst waiting to use the bathroom to finish up. Knocking before she asked Ash if it was ok to come in, Iris opened the door slightly after hearing it was all clear. "Morning lovers! Where's Dawn?".

Ash motioned the shower with his head, which Iris gave him a suggesting look as to why Dawn needed one. He blushed and threw his dirty shirt at her. Holding up her hands in mock surrender she continued "I'm just here to let you know breakfast is being served in thirty minutes, so don't be late!" with that she skipped out and closed the door.

Ash had his mind on food now and was getting impatient, he could just picture the tasty spread before him and starting drooling. "Dawn hurry up breakfast is being served soon!" he called through the door.

"I'm almost done, I just need to fix my hair!" She'd been in there for 30 minutes! What was taking her so long? He had never had to share his room with a girl before and wondered if this was going to happen a lot. He hoped not. Five minutes later she came out "There all done!" she chirped while giving a twirl, she wanted to look good for him.

Ash didn't seem to notice "Finally, breakfast is almost ready!" He ran into the bathroom and began to wash his face and brush his teeth as fast as he could.

'_Once his mind gets on food not much can change it'_. She thought watching him race through his daily routine, it made her giggle to watch him brush his teeth fast enough to nearly break his toothbrush. It took Ash an amazing two minutes to get ready. "There all done, now let's go!".

He took her hand and they walked to the dining room, struggling to fight the urge to run there, he kept his impulses in check, he was enjoying holding Dawn's hand and didn't want to drag her across the floor to the dining area. Upon arriving there, they noticed Iris already had a table ready for them and Pikachu and Piplup were there as well. He silently wondered when those two had got out and realised that they stayed with Iris last night because he and Dawn had their alone time. Knowing grins greeted them as they approached, looking at their hands. "So you two finally admitted you like each other?" Iris questioned.

"Yup! We are now an official couple!" Dawn chirped hanging off Ash's arm. He was still unused to this kind of public display of affection and blushed furiously. Pikachu found that particularly hilarious and starting rolling around laughing at his trainer. Dawn scowled at him "Its nothing to laugh at Pikachu, Ash is just a bit shy!". Sending the small electric mouse into another fit of laughter she smirked.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, someone has certainly missed you" she grinned and opened one of her Pokeballs revealing a small bunny Pokemon. Pikachu stopped laughing and his face took on a look of dread. "Buneary!" The small rabbit launched herself at him hugging him profusely.

She was still a bit miffed about not being the star of a fashion show, but having Pikachu here made it ok. She gave him a loving hug, squeezing him tightly. He looked at Ash with an 'im sorry, now please help me' expression. Ash smirked "Not so funny now, is it buddy?". Abandoned to his fate he gave up and put his ears down, knowing trying to get the female off him was next to impossible.

Ash and Dawn grabbed a plate and went to the food bar to get what they wanted. As usual Ash stacking his plate as high as possible with his morning favourite of pancakes with syrup, Dawn watched her boyfriend try his best to keep the wobbling tower from going over while trying to get back to the table and giggled. She opted for some oran berry pancakes, she could never resist them.

Getting back to the table, they released all their Pokemon for their breakfast, except Mamoswine for obvious reasons. "Alright guys its breakfast time!" Ash launched two Pokeballs into the air, Snivy and Gible materializing moments later.

"You too, come on out!" Releasing three Pokeballs, Dawn watched as Pachirisu, Togekiss and Quilava appeared next to the others. They all stretched after being inside their balls for so long and she felt a little guilty in forgetting to let them out during their trip so far.

Iris gaped "Wow, you both have some really rare Pokemon! I've never seen half of these!". She studied them each in awe and was really looking forward to seeing them perform in battles later.

Upon coming out Snivy was not happy, she did not like the fact some other female was mauling Pikachu. She stuck her nose up and used her vines to pull Buneary away. "Snivy".

Buneary was slightly shocked, than angry. Some new girl decided to pull her off her Pikachu? "Bun Buneary!" She yelled in annoyance.

"Vy snivy, sni vy" Snivy smirked at her, only infuriating the small bunny further.

Suddenly finding an Ice Beam shot her way, Snivy dodged and snarled, then retaliated with Vine Whip, knocking Buneary into her food bowl and sending the contents flying.

"Pika pi pikachu! Pika pika!" Pikachu tried his best to come between the two warring females but had to run for his life as attacks starting flying back and forth. He knew better than to try stop them now, pissed off girls were scary!

Before chaos could break loose, a young man with shaggy green hair in a ponytail came walking over. "Now you two, that's no way to treat a new friend and I doubt you'll win his affections like that". He chuckled as they both blushed and looked away. The rest of the Pokemon sighed in relief that they didn't have a full-scale brawl on their hands and went back to eating peacefully. The stranger studied all the Pokemon present and quirked his eyebrow "These Pokemon are all happy, they feel strong trust for their trainers...".

Ash, Dawn and Iris looked at the newcomer curiously. None of them had seen him before but they marvelled at the way he dealt with Snivy and Buneary. Ash finally spoke up " Uhm hi, my names Ash, who are you".

The man turned and looked at them as if noticing them for the first time, "Hello everyone, my name is N. I must say your Pokemon think very highly of you all, they consider you their friends". The thought seemed troubling to him.

"Well its nice to meet you N, my name's Dawn and this is Iris" she introduced the other girl next to her, they all noticed the look on his face "Is something wrong?".

The look past, and N shook his head "Its nothing important, just something for me to think about. Do you mind?" He motioned at an empty chair at their table.

"Not at all, feel free" Ash smiled warmly at him. N nodded his thanks and sat down with his breakfast. "So N, you said you knew our Pokemon thought of us as friends? How?".

"Ah, well you see I have this special gift, I can hear the inner thoughts of Pokemon. It enables me to understand and connect with them better" N smiled wistfully as he said that.

"Wow really? That's amazing!" Ash was in awe, he'd never heard of someone with abilities like that before, understanding the inner voices of Pokemon sounded really awesome.

"So N how come your staying in Striaton? Are you a trainer going for the Gym?" Iris inquired, she was rather curious about this strange young man.

N's face darkened "No im not a trainer, I dont like forcing my friends to fight one another".

They all looked at him, not sure what to say. "You called them your friends? Are you referring to your own Pokemon?" Dawn finally asked.

Shaking his head N added "I don't use Pokeballs, I dislike the idea of Pokemon being trapped inside devices such as that, and I call all Pokemon my friends. You see when I was younger, I wasn't allowed outside my room, but I was never lonely. My father always brought me Pokemon to play with, and they were always hurting and distrustful of humans because of negligent trainers. Since then ive vowed to help all my friends whenever I can, im actually here because I rescued a Zorua from some poachers. She was hurting,scared and alone, taken from her mother because they wanted to make money" N clenched his fists. "Pokemon should be free from humans, they are forced away from their friends and family and forced into battles for the sake of their trainers".

Ash stood up offended " You can blame all Pokemon trainers for the actions of a few bad ones! I know plenty of people who love their Pokemon and would never hurt them!".

"He's right, there are a lot of wonderful people who go out of their way to help Pokemon, and a lot of really nice trainers who become best friends with their partners" Dawn added smiling as Piplup jumped into her arms. "Pip piplup!" He added thumping his chest.

Pikachu had also heard what had been said and jumped up onto the table "Pikapi pikachu! Pi pika pikachu pikapi" he told N, defending his trainer and friend. He wouldnt allow someone to bad mouth great people like Ash and everyone he'd come to know.

N looked in shock at the Pokemon, at first he thought they were lying, but he knew Pokemon can't lie. Lying is what humans do. But the things Pikachu and Piplup where telling him went against everything he'd ever known. They said they loved their trainers and they were their best friends. Pikachu had said he owed his life to Ash more than once. He turned his confused gaze at the others and was getting similar things back from them. This made no sense! These Pokemon should be miserable and scared! He didn't know what was going on and the thoughts in his head were colliding with each other. "I'm sorry, I have to go" before anyone could say a word N stood up and walked away.

Silence reigned for a while, until Iris felt it getting awkward. "So... Ash, where to next?".

He thought about it and shrugged "I'm not sure, where ever the next Gym is, ill ask Nurse Joy for directions. We will need to stop at the mart before we leave also since Dawn will be joining us and we don't have enough food for three".

"Perphaps I can be of assistance there" came a familiar voice from behind them, they all turned and saw the familiar green hair of one of the Striaton Gym Leaders.

"Cilan!" Said Iris and Ash in unison, Dawn didn't know his name so stayed quiet. "What are you doing here?" Ash questioned.

"Well you see after your Gym battle with my brothers, I realised that i'd be able to get a lot stronger as a Gym Leader and a Pokemon Connoisseur if I travelled around and experienced the world outside the Gym. Watching you battle with exquisite flavour and taste whilst ruining my own brother's recipes was a truly enlightening experience. So I came to ask you if you wouldn't mind if I tagged along with you?".

Ash held out his hand "We'd love to have to come with us Cilan, of course you can come along".

"I highly appreciate that Ash thank you". He turned his attention to Dawn "I don't believe we have introduced, my name is Cilan, im a Pokemon Connoisseur" he bowed gracefully.

Dawn giggled and replied " Hi, my name's Dawn, im Ash's girlfriend and a Pokemon Coordinator, and this is my partner Piplup".

"Pipluuuuup" he walked over and puffed his chest out.

"Oh wow a Piplup! How exquisite!" he ruffled the head of the small penguin affectionately "It's a pleasure to meet you both".

"Hey Cilan check out their other Pokemon!" Iris pointed to the large crowd of Pokemon eating at the sides of their trainers. His eye's widened.

"Some many unique flavours in one exotic blend! This is a Pokemon Connoisseur's dream come true!" He went over to the Pokemon and began to study each thoroughly.

Ash, Dawn and Iris sweatdropped. "Does he always talk like that?" Dawn asked, she couldn't quite understand everything the young Connoisseur said.

"From what we've seen, yeah" Iris deadpanned.

After a few minutes he came back to the group "I must say you all make great matches with your Pokemon, they all seem really happy and healthy. Id love to do an evaluation battle with one of you soon".

"Why do you need to battle us to do that?" Ash inquired.

"In the heat of battle the true connection between trainer and Pokemon can be seen, the trust, the synchronicity and the bond are all put on the line and tested, giving me a perfect chance to see how compatible you are!" He explained.

"Wow, I didn't know you could read that much by observing a battle" Dawn was amazed at how thoroughly a bond between her and her Pokemon was tested every time she went into a contest.

"Well we should get moving if we want to reach the next Gym, and ive got a second Gym badge with my name on it!" Ash announced getting pumped already. "We still need those extra supplies though, especially now if Cilan is coming too". Everyone nodded and returned their Pokemon.

"You don't need to worry about that Ash, as well as being an A class Connoisseur im also a well-trained chef! If its ok with everyone ill take over the cooking and food preparations, I promise you wont be disappointed!" Cilan offered.

When no one objected, he nodded and they made their way to the front desk, Ash got directions to the next Gym and announced their next destination. "It looks like we're heading to Castelia City!".

"Ah the largest city in Unova, a fine place for your next badge" Cilan added, he was quite familiar with the Unova Region and loved pointing out small facts about places.

They set off down the road towards Castelia, enjoying the warm sun and each others company. Dawn was holding Ash's hand watching the sky and looking for any new Pokemon. Ash watched her and smiled as she had a content face, watching his new girlfriend enjoy herself so simply. Iris and Cilan walked behind the couple, happy for their new friends and their new love. After a while Dawn asked "Cilan, i was wondering, does Unova have contests? I saw nothing mentioned about them in Striaton".

Cilan shook his head sadly "Unfortunately not, Unova has not had much contact with the other Regions until recently and contests are still a new thing for us".

Dawn slumped, so she wouldn't be competing here after all. She was really hoping they would have had contests here. Ash noticed and gently gave her a reassuring squeeze of her hand. She smiled at him "I'm fine, no need to worry".

"However we do have something that might be of interest to you. When we reach Nimbasa City, you will be able to see Pokemon Musicals, im not certain how close to contests they are but you might find it to your taste" Cilan continued noticing her mood dampened.

"Pokemon Musicals? Sounds interesting, Ash we have to check that out when we get there!"

Ash chuckled "Of course, it sounds like fun. And im sorry for making you miss contests for me, I know how much they mean to you".

She brushed off the apology "Its fine Ash, because you mean more". She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

The resounding 'Aww's' from Cilan and Iris caused Ash to turn red and he pulled his cap down, Dawn giggled at how cute he was.

Their peaceful walk was abruptly interrupted by the familiar sound of Barry "Coming through!" Dawn had learned her lesson and quickly side-stepped. Ash wasnt so fortunate as Barry ran right into him sending them both flying.

Groggily getting to his feet, Ash turned around to see the familiar sight of his old friend. "Barry? What are you doing in Unova?" It seemed he couldn't get away from being randomly body slammed by the hyperactive trainer.

"Ash? Hey its great to see you again! I'm here to challenge the Gyms and become as strong as I can be! How many badges do you have?" Barry asked as he dusted himself off.

Opening his badge case Ash presented his new Trio Badge to the blonde. "What you already have one?! I need to get a move on!" he was about to take off when he noticed Dawn and everyone else "Oh hi Dawn, who are these guys?".

She giggled "Hey Barry, this is Cilan he's a Pokemon Connoisseur" Cilan bowed in recognition, "And this is Iris, she's a... well im not sure what she is" Dawn replied sheepishly.

Iris facepalmed and added "I'm training to become a Dragon Master" finishing the introductions.

"It's great to meet you all! I'm Barry the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer!" He noticed Dawn move over and lean her head on Ash's shoulder "So you finally told him huh? I always thought there was something between you two" he grinned.

They both smiled at him and Ash put his arm around Dawn, he was getting used to this a bit more now. "Hey Ash check out my new Pokemon!" Barry threw a Pokeball into the air and it snapped open spilling out white light that formed into the shape of Barry's newest team member. It was horse-like in shape and had black and white stripy patterns covering its entire body, except for a small patch of skin above each of its four hoofs, a small lightning shaped tail stuck out from its back and similarly shaped protrusions erupted from its head, slightly trailing down the top of its neck, they where pulsing yellow slightly with electricity. Its nose was pure black and its eyes where yellow instead of white, with large blue retinas. "Bliiiiitzle" It announced.

"Isnt it great, I just caught this Blitzle and I wanted to try it out in the Gym battle!".

"A Blitzle huh?" Ash grabbed his Pokedex and scanned it, Dawn leaned in closer so she could see the information too. The familiar monotone voice whirred out "Blitzle, the Electrified Pokemon. It's mane shines when it discharges electricity. They use the frequency and rhythm of these flashes to communicate".

"A fast and charged up Pokemon for a lively and charged up trainer, I dare say you found yourself quite the compatible match" Cilan announced, after watching the pair intently.

"Huh?" Barry looked at Cilan slightly confused.

"That's kind of what a Connoisseur does, they evaluate the compatibility between trainers their Pokemon" Iris explained.

"Oh"

"So Barry when are you going to be challenging the Gym?" Ash asked, he seemed to be in such a hurry before...

"THE GYM!" Barry quickly returned Blitzle and sped off as fast as he could "I've gotta go guys, ill see you later!" He shouted as he disappeared from view.

Everyone sweatdropped, "So I guess my brothers will find him quite the interesting recipe" Cilan laughed slightly.

"If they can keep up with him, he never seems to slow down..." Ash shook his head "Come on lets find a place to have lunch im getting hungry" as if on que the group heard Ash's belly rumble, causing them all the laugh.

Placing his hand back in Dawn's the four made their way along the road to find a nice spot to rest and eat.

**Chapter 7 : Poachers, Plasma and Nacrene City**

**Shorter than my last chapter, but I got two out today so im hoping its enough.**

**I'll be getting out another chapter tomorrow so if your liking this story I guess you can look forward to that!**

**Until next time, peace out.**


	7. Poachers, Plasma and Nacrene City!

**First id like to say it's fucking hot here, seriously im nearly melting! But im pumped up to continue this story so lets do it!**

**This chapter will introduce a darker side to this story and will build the main arc.**

**With that said, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Chapter 7 : Poachers, Plasma and Nacrene City!**

**Unova Region - ?**

A tall man stood in the shadows of the corner of the room, watching. His form was mostly covered with his cloak, his head the only thing showing. He had long wavey hair that covered one side of his face and piercing eyes that held an intensity enough to make you flinch.

On the other side of the room a second man sat behind a desk, watching monitors. He was a lot older than the other, but his eyes held a malicious intelligence not to be underestimated, and he was grinning at a report given to him recently. "So it seems everything is playing out how I presumed it would. Perfect". He knew the new Hero's of Legend would make themselves known and now he knew exactly who they where. "It would seem it's almost time for you to make yourself known...". He turned his gaze to the man in the shadows.

Stepping forward he bowed slightly with a vicious grin, throwing a Pokeball up in the air and catching it. "It's time?".

"Almost, we can't rush this, and if you reveal yourself too soon it could ruin everything!" He snapped, causing the younger male to back off slightly. No one liked to see him angry, he enjoyed the fear he caused in others. "But soon. You best be ready. Afterall once all this is over everything will change". He smiled but there was no humour in it.

The other male simply bowed low and left quickly, he really didn't like being in the presence of his new leader. The man scared him. He made he way down the countless steps and prepared himself to make his début appearance in Unova...

**Unova Region - Route 3**

Ash, Dawn, Iris and Cilan where all sitting on an open grassy plain, dotted with a few trees, next to a small river. Cilan was busy preparing lunch and everyone else was sitting nearby enjoying the warm sun and each others conversations. Their Pokemon where all let out and running around. Mamoswine, Gabite, Togekiss and Snivy were all resting in the shade of a nearby oak whilst Pikachu, Buneary , Pachirisu , Quilava and Axew where chasing each other around in a game of tag. Piplup and Pansage where cooling off in the river whilst exploring it.

Snivy was keeping a very close eye on Pikachu, and he sighed slightly. When they had been let out of their Pokeballs, Snivy and Buneary had clashed heads immediately and he'd been forced to break them apart. You'd think he would be thrilled to have two potential mates fighting over him, but when you had to deal with their constant fighting and the fact that they where _always_ watching him, it was exhausting. He didn't have time to think on it more as Buneary had been tagged and she was only intent on tagging him. Sweatdropping he ran for his life.

Cilan was watching his new friends whilst making lunch, Ash and Dawn were sat close together and Dawn was resting her head on his shoulder. Iris sat on the other side enjoying the feel of the grass between her fingers and the soft soil against her feet. They made quite the foursome, he mused, and interesting blend of spices to create something well balanced and mildly flavoured. Ash and Dawn couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other and he assumed they had only recently come into their relationship and thus wanted to be with the other as much as possible. The bond between them was so strong it was almost palpable. It was sweet and pleasant to see. Iris on the other hand was a bit of a wild card and she was quite cheeky when she wanted to be. Their Pokemon where a dream come true to him, so many types he'd never seen before, up close and in the flesh without even needing to leave Unova to see them! Watching how they all interacted was fascinating and he was looking forward to his evaluation battle later on. For now he contented himself on making lunch, another passion of his which he enjoyed thoroughly.

Ash had just caught Dawn up to date with everything that had transpired with him since coming to Unova. "Wow Ash, I arrive and the most interesting thing that happens to me, whilst looking for you, was being run into by a girl who I swear was the female incarnation of Barry, and you somehow meet a Legend no one has seen for thousands of years, fend off Team Rocket and save the life of a rare Pokemon which then joins your team. You really don't do things by halves do you?" She giggled.

He scratched the back of his head " I don't plan for these things to happen, they just sorta do".

Iris had nearly had a heart attack when she heard about his encounter with Zekrom, not only was he a Legendary but he was a Dragon type too! And on top of that he chose Ash for some trial and powered up his Pikachu? It was nearly too much to believe and it wasn't until she'd asked for a display from Pikachu that she took it as reality. The Thunderbolt demonstration was powerful enough to make her thank Arceus she wasnt on the receiving end. As it was just being near it had caused her and everyone else's hair to spike up uncontrollably with static. She had to admit watching Dawn have a hissy fit about that was hilarious.

"Hey Dawn, let's have a battle before lunch! It's been a while since you and I had a serious one on one and it'll be fun!" Ash said standing up and putting his cap on, looking psyched up.

"Of course sweetie, id love too! We always did have amazing battles, and no one can beat us in a tag team!" They both grinned and high-fived at that.

"Your both such little kids" Iris teased, earning her death glares from the couple. She giggled and walked over with them to be the referee.

"So which Pokemon are you going to be using?" Dawn asked curiously, he only had three choices to choose from, and she prayed it wouldn't be Pikachu. That Thunderbolt was down right scary.

"Hmm, I want to get Snivy some more battle experience so ill choose her". He called over to Snivy, and she made her way over from under the tree, ever keeping one eye on Pikachu making sure Buneary didn't get too close for her liking.

"Snivy huh, hmm lets see" Pulling out her Pokedex again Dawn got some more information on the small Grass Snake Pokemon, nodding she began to choose a suitable partner. "I'll use Buneary, she's the only one that doesn't really have a direct advantage or disadvantage so it should be a fairly even match!" She called over her Pokemon and Buneary hopped over, much to Pikachu's relief.

On the battlefield the stare down began, both females instantly glaring at each other. The three friends noticed and sweatdropped. "Uh Snivy, whats wrong? Did Buneary do something to you? You where both acting strange at breakfast" Ash questioned. She didn't take her eyes off her opponent but answered through clenched teeth "Vy snivy! Snivy snivy vy snivy!".

"Bun buneary! Bun bun!" Her opponent yelled back, they where both ready for this fight. It was a mating war after all and whoever won this would score some serious points in the right to claim their mate.

Ash and Dawn shrugged, whatever the case their Pokemon seemed fired up for this so all the better. Iris stepped up between the two of them "Ok, are both sides ready?" Getting a nod from them both she threw her arms down "Then let the battle commence!".

"Alright Snivy lets start this off with Leaf Tornado!" Ash started out, Snivy nodded, more than eager to inflict damage on the infernal bunny that dared oppose her. She leapt into the air and started channelling leaves around her in a cone before hurtling them towards her opponent, with a little more relish than usual.

"Buneary use Bounce to dodge! Then counter attack with Ice Beam!" Buneary quickly responded to Dawn's command and leapt to the side to avoid the power grass type move and then built up ice energy in her mouth before concentrating it into a beam and firing it at Snivy. This slutty snake dared move in on her Pikachu? She would make her suffer!

"Snivy dodge, then use Vine Whip to grab Buneary and slam her down!" Snivy grinned at that command. She quickly used her reflexes to dodge the lethal beam of ice and whilst two long vines shot forth from her neck and wrapped around Buneary's waist. She then proceeded to bring down her opponent, fast, on a collision course with the ground. Buneary slammed into the floor hard and Snivy smirked "Vy snivy" she gloated.

Buneary grunted in pain and snarled, she wasnt at all happy with the mocking tone in Snivy's voice. Without a command she shot off another Ice Beam, surprising Snivy and hitting her square in the chest, doing serious damage and knocking her back. "Buneary!".

Dawn gasped, it wasnt like Buneary to attack without an order from her, "Buneary, what's gotten into you? You know your not to attack unless I tell you to!".

Snivy shook off the ice that had started coating her chest and glared daggers at her opponent, so she wanted to play dirty did she? She wouldnt stoop to her level in a battle, she couldn't do that to Ash after he saved her, but she would get her own back later on.

"Is everything ok Dawn?" Ash asked not sure if Buneary was ok to continue, Dawn looked confused but nodded. "Alright well then, Snivy use Vine Whip again!"

"Snivy" she whipped out her vines and they headed straight towards her opponent's legs.

"Buneary use Dizzy Punch to knock them away, then use it on Snivy when your clear!" Dawn countered.

Buneary waited for the vines to close in then battered them to the sides with her glowing ears, she then hopped forward as fast she could and proceeded to slam Snivy in the face repeatedly, intent on confusing the other Pokemon and doing as much damage as she possibly could.

Ash quickly tried to come up with a counter, he couldn't let Snivy get confused, it could cost him the match. He quickly thought of something and issued his command.

"Snivy use your vines to grab Buneary's ears! Then hold her in place and use Slam!" It was simple and yet effective, he hoped it would work out.

Snivy gritted her teeth through the pummeling she was receiving, trying not to lose her focus and get confused. Unleashing her vines she wrapped them around the normal type's ears and pulled them back, lifting Buneary off her and holding her in place. Grinning she then used all her power to launch herself in a spinning jump, her tail glowing white as she slammed it down hard onto Buneary's head.

Buneary fell hard and rolled back towards Dawn, having the sense knocked out of her from the blow, and she struggled to rise.

Pikachu was watching from the side and sweatdropped, he knew these two where attacking each other a little harder than nessacery and that he was the cause of that. He didn't know how to get himself out of this situation without hurting one of them or receiving the beating of his life. He chuckled as he remembered he calling human courting complicated. Pokemon where no better it seemed.

Iris saw that Buneary had taken a lot of damage and decided to stop the match "Ok, that's enough, we don't want to have to run to the Pokemon Center. This battle goes to Snivy and Ash".

"Snivy vy" Snivy gloated proudly, happy that she had expressed her dominance in the field of battle. Pikachu had to be impressed by that and see she was the better choice.

"That was a great match Dawn, im actually amazed at how strong Snivy is, I havent had her long. I can't understand how anyone could have abandoned her". Ash said as he crouched down to affectionately rub Snivy's head. She smiled happily under the attention.

"Yeah Snivy's great, and you did well too Buneary! You take a nice long rest" with that Dawn brought out Buneary's Pokeball and returned her. The last thing the bunny Pokemon did before being sucked inside was glare Snivy down, a look that promised revenge.

Cilan's voice caught all their attention, "Alright everyone dinner is served!".

They all walked over to the table and chairs that had been set up and looked at the dish Cilan had created for them, it smelt heavenly and Dawn giggled as Ash stared dreamily at it. "It's a triple layer lasagna with pure beef, three exquisite cheese's melted into perfection and topped with just the right herbs and spices to give it a rich and flavourful taste" Cilan announced. "So please everyone dig in and enjoy!".

Ash needed no other prompting and helped himself to a generous portion and began to eat with his usual gusto. Iris, Dawn and Cilan deadpanned and each took a portion and sat down. "Cilan this is amazing! Your just as good as Brock was!" Ash said enthusiastically whilst not slowing down in the slightest.

Hearing such great reviews from a food lover, the rest of them dug in. Dawn had never had a lasagna before but it tasted like heaven to her. The pasta and cheese melted in your mouth and the beef and spices added the substance and flavour to make it perfect. She couldn't help but eat it faster than normal, albeit no way near quick enough to keep pace with her boyfriend, who had seemingly finished his first portion and gone back for seconds. "This is great, you're a wonderful cook Cilan" she added.

"I have to agree, im not used to eating cooked meals, but this is really tasty!" Iris chirped, happily chowing down.

"It does a cook's heart good to hear such happy reviews, I thank you all" Cilan bowed before serving himself.

After they had all finished eating, the Pokemon included, they began to pack up and carry on with their journey. It was around 4 pm and they wanted to make some decent progress towards Castelia City before it got dark. They where about to set off when they heard a commotion coming through from behind nearby shrubs. Worried that something might be wrong the four quickly made their way through to see what was going on. The sight they stumbled on made them gasp.

In the centre of a small clearing, stood a large iron bared cage. Inside where trapped several Pokemon native to Unova, crying out for help and in obvious pain from the injuries evident upon their bodies. Surrounding the cage where four men dressed in black, their bodies where entirely covered and they had cloth masks covering the lower halves of their faces. One of them was beating the caged Pokemon with a heavy metal stick. He struck an unfortunate Audino across the back causing it to wince and cry out in pain.

Ash was disgusted, he'd never seen such barbarity, and his companions echoed his emotions. "This is awful, we have to do something!" quickly grabbing Gabite and Snivy's Pokeball he was about to charge in and fight off these poachers, when a hand suddenly landed on his wrist stopping him. He whirled to see who it was, coming face to face with N. Ash was about to ask the older male what he was doing, but N quickly put his finger to his mouth, in a 'shh' gesture signalling Ash to be quiet.

The others where equally surprised by the sudden arrival of N, especially Cilan, since he'd never seen him before. "Think before you act, if you just go charging in you could risk hurting the captured Pokemon. We will need to work together to pull this off" he whispered letting go of Ash's arm and letting everyone in on his plan. The four of them would take out a guard each, attacking at the same time so not to lose the element of surprise, whilst N would free the Pokemon with the assistance of Pikachu. Everyone nodded understanding and took up positions.

Once everyone was set, fingers on Pokeballs and ready to go, N gave the signal. The poachers where caught completely off guard as four Pokemon suddenly materialized around them. Gabite, Mamoswine, Pansage and Togekiss, whom Iris had to borrow because her _other_ Pokemon refused to cooperate and Axew wasnt experienced enough. Each of them called out an attack and it all happened in a blur.

Mamoswine charged at a rather pudgy and bald male who was standing closest to Dawn, knocking him flying with a powerful Takedown attack, watching as he crumpled when he collided with a tree.

Pansage had immediately starting building energy the second he came out of his Pokeball, thanks to a quiet but advanced command from Cilan and quickly took out a second man, who was boredly playing with a knife near the cage. He was sent hurtling towards the iron bars and his head snapped back harshly as he impacted against them, a large burn mark on his chest.

Gabite leapt into the air and used a full power Dragon Rush, impacting on the back of the third man, sending him face first into the earth. He didn't get up. The metal bar falling from his limp hands.

Togekiss was told to use a quick Aura Sphere, and she expertly fired the blue orb of Aura directly at the final poacher connecting with his head and sending him flying back, and ripping the scarf covering his face. Blood was coming out of his swollen mouth.

While this was happening N had run over to the cage with Pikachu right behind him and they both started attacking the two locks, caging all the unfortunate Pokemon within. Pikachu used a powerful Iron Tail to smash the first lock clean off and N picked up the metal bar that the now unconscious guard had dropped and swung it hard, snapping the lock and opening the cage. The relieved Pokemon chirped their many names in thanks and scurried off into the wild.

The four friends had emerged now it was over to assess the situation and were pleased to see N's plan had worked without fault. The poachers where out cold and the Pokemon where free and running back to where they were taken from.

One of them wasnt knocked out though, the man holding the knife, slowly sat back up and squinted with fury through blurry eyes. He spat out a mouthful of blood and got up, knife in hand. He was determined to get some payback for this humiliating defeat, because after his boss learned about it he wouldn't live much longer anyhow. He ran, knife extended, at the closest target, intending to kill or at least seriously injure her. He had chosen to go for Dawn.

She, Iris and N had their backs to him and didn't see him coming and Cilan was busy making sure all the Pokemon left. Ash saw him though, and he saw exactly who he was going for. His heart began pounding fast and extreme worry coursed through him. Time seemed to slow down to nothing as the man closed in on the love of his life. '_I WONT LOSE HER'_ he mentally screamed and his body moved of its own accord. The next thing he knew he was between Dawn and her attacker with a powerful shield of Aura up in front of him. The man collided with the now very real and rock solid wall in front of him, knocking out a few teeth and sending him back to the floor, unconscious.

Everyone turned around and gasped, realising now what would have happened. Dawn stood there in shock. Ash had just saved her life again. She quickly brought him into a crushing hug, kissing his face repeatedly "I love you so much!" Was all she could say, but it was enough.

"I couldn't lose you Dawn" Ash said slowly "We have just found each other and some low life poacher isn't about to separate us! I love you, and i'd do anything in this world to keep you safe". Dawn looked up at him in adoration and love, tears streaming down her face. She felt so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend.

"I don't know what id do without you Ash" she said honestly, before leaning up slightly and giving him a passionate kiss on his lips.

Ash was still glowing blue with the power of Aura coursing through his veins, and everyone was looking at him with something akin to _awe_. N looked especially surprised. He had no idea the young raven haired trainer was a user of Aura!

Dawn finally released her hold on Ash and took notice of the blue glow surrounding him. She stood and gaped slightly.

Ash seemingly hadn't noticed and wondered why everyone was giving him such wierd stares "What?" he asked.

"Ash... your... _glowing_. Literally" Iris finally replied.

Quickly looking down and checking it himself, he noticed what they were all looking at. He knew what had happened but wondered, _how_? He knew he had the power of Aura deep within him, but it was always a faint trace and since the meeting with Sir Aaron he hadn't practised or strengthened it. And yet he just made an Aura wall, seemingly without effort or thought, and now was pulsing with its power. "Huh, I guess my Aura has gotten a lot stronger...".

Everyone was speechless, except N. He was fascinated and wanted to know more. "You didn't know you had the power of Aura within you Ash?".

"No I knew, I realised it when I visited the Tree of Beginning back when I was travelling through the Kanto Battle Frontier, but it's never been anything substantial, I could never form anything with it. Not like that wall I just made at least." Ash responded, he wish he knew more.

"Amazing, tell me, what where you doing or thinking about before you did it?" N pressed.

Ash thought back to the blurry moment after the battle, it all happened so fast and he had a hard time recalling everything. Forcing his thoughts into place it all came back. He was watching one of the men they'd just knocked out get up, then run towards Dawn with a knife raised. The thought of losing her had made his decision for him and he'd run between them, faster than he thought he could move, raised his hands up in front of him and used his love for the bluenette as fuel, willing a blockade into being. And it had, his hands had briefly flashed blue and a wall of pure Aura had appeared before him blocking the assailant. He explained this and everyone's shock deepened. Dawn started crying again and brought him into another loving hug, then hung off his arm, he was getting rewarded tonite!

"So your love for Dawn awakened your Aura in a time of need, enabling you to protect her from harm. You know they say people with Aura have a strong bond with Pokemon and have been known in the past as Aura Guardians and protectors of peace and harmony." N mused. He didn't know what to make of this, it only further conflicted with his thoughts and all the truths he'd come to believe growing up. How could someone with the power of Aura, strive to be a Pokemon Master and love battling? The Aura Guardians of days past never used Pokeballs! It was only made worse by the fact that he obviously cared a great deal about Pokemon and his Pokemon in turn loved him. Finding his thoughts taking him to conclusions that scared him, N decided that he needed to leave. "I need to go, sorry but those Pokemon need to be seen safely off back to their natural homes and ill make sure they don't get bothered by any more poachers. Is it ok for you to stay here and watch these guys whilst Officer Jenny comes?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and understanding, before N quickly opened a cross-transceiver and alerted Officer Jenny to their situation. He then bowed to the group of friends and took his leave.

Ash still found Dawn latched onto him arm, the attempted murder on her life had clearly shaken her and he offered all the support he could. She was his girlfriend now which made her extra special to him. He began stroking her hair with one hand whilst the other was wrapped around her waist.

Meanwhile Iris was examining the now empty metal cage and picked up the metal bar that had been used to hit the Pokemon within, she sighed "How can people do this? Dont they have a conscience?".

Ash shook his head "There are worse people out there than these guys. I've seen my fair share of nut cases and they either do it willingly or do it for money. These idiots fall into the latter category. The ones who do it willingly are the ones you need to be afraid of because they arent bothered about what they have to do for personal gain." he looked at one of the unconscious forms in revulsion.

Cilan was busy examining one of the knocked out men, looking through his jacket for any clues as to who he was, or who he worked for. Inside the front inner pocket of his black jacket was a mysterious badge with a symbol on the front. He held it up to the light to examine it better. "Hey guys, ive found something that might be linked to who sent them!".

Everyone quickly hurried over and looked at Cilan's find. It was a small shield-shaped badge, with a half black and half white background, a blue capital P plastered in the center with a zigzag pattern in the same colour and font behind it.

None of them had seen it before and had no idea whom it linked to. "What do you think it is?" Iris asked.

"I'm not sure, but we should show it to Jenny when she get's here, she might have seen it before or know what it refer's too" Cilan added.

Everyone agreed and waited ten minutes more for the police to arrive. They quickly took in the scene and arrested the four men before Jenny came to speak with the group of teens. "I have a few questions for you four, if you don't mind" she asked them as she approached.

They proceeded to answer her standered questions regarding the scene, such as why they where there, and what the men where doing to the Pokemon caged up. When she was done Cilan offered her the strange badge. She studied it and sighed, knowing what it was from as she had seen it before. "I have seen this badge before, it was found on some other poachers doing a similar stunt to this" she shook her head slowly, "We don't know much about it, other than it seems to be some underground organisation that involves itself with a lot of Pokemon poaching".

The group gasped, not realising this was a common problem. It was all tied into the strange badge but no one seemed to have any answers, a mystery no doubt, but one that had to be solved soon, Cilan mused.

Jenny took her leave with her other officers and the four arrested men in tow, and the group made their way to Nacrene City, by the time they reached it, it had already started to get dark, so they decided to stay at the Pokemon Center for now and continue on tomorrow. "Hello Nurse Joy, we'd like some rooms please" Ash asked as they reached the front desk.

"Well, you'll have to share, we only have three rooms left im afraid" She replied looking at the group.

"That's ok, Ash and I will share" Dawn chirped from his arm. Giggling when she saw him blush furiously.

Nurse Joy smiled at the young couple and handed them all their room keys.

Iris and Cilan gave them cheeky smirks and laughed when Dawn proceeded to hit them for being filthy minded. The four made their way to their assigned rooms. Iris got the room between the couple and Cilan. "Keep it quiet you two, these walls are quite thin and I don't want to be kept awake from sex noises" She giggled furiously as they both went a bright red, even Cilan looked embarrassed and quickly went into his room. Before she could receive another beating from the bluenette she too decided to take shelter in her room.

Ash and Dawn walked into their room and started getting changed. "I'm just going to take a quick shower, I wont be long" Ash said before locking the bathroom door and turning on the shower. He let the hot water wash away his troubles and enjoyed the feeling of it running through his hair. He didn't notice the small black fox that had climbed in through the open bathroom window. She giggled and looked at him, this was going to be fun!

Quickly taking the form of a very naked Dawn, she silently walked into the shower and tapped him on his shoulder. Ash whirled, wondering who the hell was in the shower with him and saw things he had never seen before. Dawn stood in front of him, completely _naked_ and giggling. He stood wide-eyed and blood started trickling out of his nose. "Dawn... shower... clothes... room... what... water... here?" He mumbled out incomprehensibly. 'Dawn' started laughing and hopped out the shower and reverted to her original form "I totally got you there! It's great to see you again Ash!" With that she giggled again and hopped back out the window. Ash stood there dumbstruck trying to force his private area to calm down knowing what he saw was actually a _Pokemon_. Was that the Zorua from Crown City?

He came out the shower five minutes later and Dawn was already laying in bed waiting for him. She wasnt wearing her usual sleep clothes and had opted to sleep just in her bra and panties. "Dawn are you sure your ok with just those on?" He asked, not wanting her to do something she wasnt comfortable with. She simply nodded in reply.

"I trust you Ash, and im comfortable enough to do this" she smiled at him and he felt a rush of love and pride run through him. He stripped off to his boxers, feeling the same way as his girlfriend. Dawn tried to hide her blush as she saw his toned body only covered by his underwear.

He got into their shared bed and his heart started beaten faster as Dawn snuggled up to him, feeling her near naked body pressed against his own. She was so soft and warm and he embraced her back, wanting her close to him, but trying his hardest fight off the images from the shower. He decided it was best not to tell her that.

Dawn got herself comfy and rested her head on his chest, like she had done the first time they shared a bed. This time they where a little less clothed and she could feel his toned skin against her own. Trying her hardest to fight her curiosity and _arousal_ she closed her eyes and they both fell into a deep slumber.

**Nacrene City - Unova Region**

The man watched the four friends walk into the Pokemon Center for the night. He wasnt happy. Those moron's capturing Pokemon had nearly ruined everything. If N had discovered they where from Team Plasma, he'd become aware of what was going off. Cant have their beloved King knowing those little facts now could they? The Hero of Ideals was moving along as expected, and he'd keep a close eye on the boy and his little girlfriend. It was soon time to reintroduce himself. He smiled thinking about how that particular event would go down.

Soon he reminded himself, it wouldn't be long now...

Little did he realise that he wasnt the only one watching the four.

**Next - Chapter 8 : A Legendary Encounter**

**Thanks for reading everyone, I realise I made a mistake with the chapter name and ive fixed it, as well as the mistakes made in the previous one. The plot is starting to get underway and im really enjoying writing this now.**

**I hope your all enjoying it, and Chapter 8 will be out tomorrow night!**

**Until next time, peace out.**


	8. A Legendary Encounter

**So if anyone watched ep 781 last night, I have to say I really enjoy the way they portray N. It's a lot different than the games and its a nice change.**

**A few important things will be happening this chapter so it might be a long one, not that most of you will mind that :p**

**For those enjoying this little story so far, I thank you. I mainly started this for myself but its nice to have people who enjoy reading it too!**

**Please note there will be a poll on my channel about adding Lemons and making this an M! It is very important for the story and more information will be put at the bottom.**

**Anyway, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 8 : A Legendary Encounter**

**Unova Region - Nacrene City**

"So the twerp and the Sinnoh twerpette got together, how cute" Jessie smirked. She, James and Meowth where standing on top of a nearby building. They had been trailing the gang for a little while and had witnessed the event with the poachers, and the subsequent aftermath revelation. "So did you get any information on that badge?".

"Ive run it through our database and found it linked back through several other incidents and sources. Apparently its the symbol of an organisation called Team Plasma". James finished looking up from his laptop. "They seem to be planning something big for this region, that could mean trouble for us and the twerps".

"Whatever they is plannin' we got to get the inside scoop, if we can make it work to our favour it makes our mission dat much simpler" Meowth grinned.

"Yes but for now we watch and wait, and it seems we arent the only ones" Jessie pointed to an opposite roof. Her two team members saw the cape flutter down off the building before disappearing from view. "Intresting..." .

**Unova Region - Nacrene City**

The sun was cresting the horizon as Ash woke, he tried moving his arm to rub his eyes but found it trapped. He looked down to his right and saw Dawn fast sleep and snuggled up to him, his arm was underneath her waist. He stroked her blue hair with his free hand and watched her sleep, she was so peaceful and utterly beautiful it was captivating. The way the early morning light lit up her face, he couldn't take his eyes off her, so he stayed there not wanting to wake her. He heard her mutter something and glanced at her eyes to notice she was still sleeping.

"No Ash its fine... we can go to the Championships... Pikachu can watch the kids..." He blushed slightly, she was dreaming about their future... and their kids. A dirty smile crossed her face then, and he decided now was a good time for her to wake up. He gently prodded her "Dawn, time to wake up".

She slowly opened her eyes to see Ash looking at her with his famous smile. She looked down at what they where both wearing, and remembered the last thing she was dreaming about. Blushing like crazy she squeaked out "Good morning".

Ash laughed before giving her a kiss on the forehead and heading off into the bathroom to get changed. Dawn calmed herself down and did the same. Dawn was fixing her hair when Ash came out finished "Alright im all done! I'll see you at breakfast!" He gave her a quick chaste kiss on the lips and sped out to the dining area, he could smell the pancakes from here. Dawn shook her head and giggled, perfecting her hair. About ten minutes later she was all washed up and just about to leave for breakfast when Ash came back through the door, looking at her strangely. She was shocked, Ash never usually leaves his food to come back for anything. "Uh Ash? Is something wrong?" He giggled and came towards her.

Unsure what her boyfriend was doing she stood there as he came forward and lifted the hem of her skirt up and took a good look underneath. "ASH! What are you doing?!" She was more surprised than angry and it wasnt like him to do this! Suddenly Ash looked at her and he giggled again before changing form into a familiar Zorua. "Hi Dawn, its nice to see... ALL of you.. again" . She giggled again and ran out the room, before being beaten by the furious bluenette.

Huffing Dawn stomped her way to breakfast, that stunt wasnt funny! Ash was busy stuffing his face with pancakes and Cilan and Iris where there too. Pikachu and Piplup already chowing down on some of Cilan's home made Pokemon food. She grabbed some cereal and sat down next to her boyfriend, trying to forget that particular incident. She was going to murder that fox next time she saw it.

"So Ash, have you found out anything else about your Aura?" Cilan inquired.

Swallowing a mouthful of food he replied "Nah, I honestly havent given it anymore thought. I don't know how to control it at will, it only happened last night because of severe circumstances" he glanced at Dawn as he spoke.

"It was really cool how you did it though, I didn't think people could do that" Iris spoke up.

"Well Aura users are very rare, and havent been common for thousands of years. The Aura Guardians where around in the time before Pokeballs" Cilan informed her.

"Wow Ash, your really special, arent you" she looked at him differently, he didn't seem like so much of a little kid with that bit of information.

Dawn saw Iris staring, and quickly took hold of Ash's arm "Yeah and he's all mine". She wasnt going to allow Iris to get any ideas.

"Well we should get going, there's plenty to see in Nacrene City and we still have to make it to Castelia" Cilan reminded them after they finished eating.

They all nodded and cleaned up, heading out into the city. Cilan informed them of the Nacrene Museum and they decided to take a look, apparently it used to be a Gym too but the leader, Lenora, decided to step down and settle into family life.

As they entered they all saw many unique things, ancient armor and weapons from old Unova, fossils of extinct Pokemon and reams of information detailing various important moments in history. A rather bland looking white stone was sat in a corner display. Ash and Dawn ventured over to look at it, since it kind of stuck out with its simplicity. There wasnt much information about it, other than it had been found in a recent excavation, and it certainly didn't look like much, but Ash couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow very important and that he'd seen it somewhere before. It was a simple white sphere with three indentured marks on its surface, trying but failing to remember where he'd seen it, he shrugged and was about to move on. "It's called the Light Stone".

The couple turned at the familiar voice, N was standing right behind them looking at the object in question intently. "It's the dormant form of the Legendary Pokemon Reshiram and is being kept here for _scientific interest_" saying that last part with poorly hid venom.

Ash and Dawn looked at the stone with wide eyes and new appreciation, and it clicked in Ash's head where he'd seen it before. Back in Professor Juniper's lab, the book she'd brought out to show him Reshiram and Zekrom, underneath the pictures of the two had been two small stones. "So that's actually Reshiram?" Dawn said with awe.

"Yes it is, and it shouldnt be here. Stone or not Reshiram is still a Pokemon and it being here on display isnt right" N approached the stone and put his hands against the glass case. It seemed to glow slightly from within and started turning an orange colour. Smiling he put his ear against the glass and began to listen, wanting to hear the voice of the Legendary. The couple where watching him, wondering what he was doing, when he slowly stood back up and nodded. "He told me to take him to the Dragonspiral Tower, so that's what ill do".

Without another word N brought his arm down onto the case and smashed the glass, before quickly grabbing the stone and running out the door. The alarms where blurting and everyone was looking around confused. "Ash, Dawn whats going on!" Iris and Cilan came running over to them.

"We just saw N, he told us about the Light Stone, then ran off with it, saying it spoke to him..." Ash quickly explained much to their shock. "We have to go after him!" They all nodded and raced after the fleeing form of N.

They ran out of the Museum and noticed the panicked and confused look on the people's faces as they kept in pursuit of their strange friend. Holding the Light Stone close, N dodged and weaved through the gathering crowd and tried to lose himself in the city. He was aware the four where chasing him.

'_I don't want them to get hurt or in trouble because of me, this is my task and I alone should carry the responsibility'_. Heading down an alley that would lead him through between two warehouses the city was famous for, and close to the entrance to the surrounding forest, he looked over his shoulder and saw Ash chasing after him. '_Damn_'.

"Ash please, let it go! I have to do this!" He shouted, not slowing down in the slightest.

"Just tell me why N! We're friends, I want to help you but I don't understand whats going on!" N winced slightly at the use of the word friend, no human had refered to him as that and it was hard not to stop. He knew Ash meant well but he couldn't abandon his current task. Using his height to its full potential he sprinted off into the forest and out of view. "N wait!" was the last thing he heard before escaping into the thick foliage.

Ash chased him into the forest but quickly lost his trail and came to a stop, "Dammit N, what are you doing?" Shaking his head sadly he walked back out to inform his friends. Dawn was the first to catch up with him, followed closely by Iris and Cilan, "Ash where's N? Whats going on?" his girlfriend inquired.

"He got away, and I honestly don't know. He just took the Light Stone after hearing it wanted to go to someplace called 'Dragonspiral Tower', have you heard of it Cilan?" The Connoisseur nodded.

"It's the oldest structure in Unova, but it's quite the distance away from here, I can't begin to fathom why he'd want to take it there".

"Well whatever the reason we can't do anything about it now, let's inform Jenny of what happened and be on our way, we still have quite the trek ourselves" Iris reasoned. "Axew" her partner agreed, head popping out from her hair.

They quickly made their way back to the Museum, to see a large crowd had formed and the police where everywhere, cording it off and taking statements from witnesses. Being approached by Officer Jenny when they arrived, they explained everything they saw. She noted it all down and nodded her thanks. "Well not much more point staying around here, and ive got a second Gym Badge to win!". Ash was eager to leave, catching new Pokemon and the upcoming Gym Battle chief on his mind.

The group made their way through Nacrene City without any more issues, admiring the art work on the buildings they passed. Cilan told them that this city was composed of abandoned warehouses and the citizens had used art to spice up its image, giving it the nickname 'The City of Art'.

A couple of hours later they where on their way towards Castelia City, making their way towards the famous Skyarrow Bridge. The trees around the path where starting to get really dense and the canopy above was beginning to block out the sun.

Around 5 pm they stopped and found a reasonably sized clearing for lunch, Cilan set to work setting up his cooking equipment ,"Ahh nothing like preparing a fresh meal surrounded by the vibrant sights of nature!".

Dawn and Iris sat down and released their Pokemon for some fresh air, but Ash had other ideas.

"I'm going to do some special training, Pikachu's electricity is still a problem, and not being able to use him in battles is quite frustrating, for us both"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped from his shoulder in agreement, he hated having to sit everything out.

"We will be just over there, just through those tree's" he pointed to an area on the other side of the clearing, "let me know when dinner's ready, k?" Dawn nodded and gave him a quick kiss before he ran off to go train.

When he was gone, Iris decided to get to know the other girl a little better. "So Dawn, we know all about Ash's story, tell me how did you two end up travelling together through Sinnoh anyhow?".

"Well when I first met Ash, it was all by accident. You see id just started out on my own journey to become a Top Coordinator like my mom, looking back I have to admit I didn't know as much as I thought I did" she giggled remembering the suitcase she'd wanted to take out the door with her, only to be told by her mother that it wasnt the wisest idea. "I came across Pikachu in the forest outside Sandgem Town, which I thought was wild and tried to catch it".

"You tried to catch Pikachu? How did he take that?" Iris could just imagine the annoyed expression on his face, followed by a Thunderbolt. She giggled.

"Well it stumbled out in front of me from the bushes, I was so excited at that time because id just started my journey and really wanted to catch a bunch of Pokemon. I ordered Piplup to attack him with Bubblebeam, which failed, then Peck. Pikachu just used Thunderbolt and sent Piplup flying into my bike, frying both to a crisp" laughing at the memory she continued. "I got angry and just threw a Pokeball at him, which failed to capture so I knew it belonged to someone, I just didn't know who. After a lot of searching, we ran into Team Rocket, they are these three criminals that seem to be obsessed with Ash and follow him everywhere, constantly trying to steal Pikachu, and they grabbed him from me".

Iris nodded "Yeah we ran into them just outside of Nuvema Town, they had taken my Axew earlier and id been chasing them down. When I finally caught up to them, Ash had already dispatched them and freed the Pokemon" she looked over at Axew who was playing with the others, glad he was safe.

'_That certainly sounds like my Ash'_ Dawn thought happily before continuing "So they where in this giant mecha they built and had Pikachu trapped in a sort of container, I tried my best to free him but I just wasnt good enough and Piplup was without any real experience. The next thing I know some boy comes running through from the forest and attacks the mecha with his Aipom and Starly. He ends up destroying the mecha and blasting those idiots off. But then he actually scaled one of the arms of the exploding mecha to save his Pikachu, id only just met him but I feared for his life. It was at once the most brave and reckless thing id ever seen and to this day ive not met anyone willing to do more for their Pokemon than Ash". She smiled fondly at their first meeting.

"So after that we ended up becoming fast friends, and I asked to travel with him since I really needed to learn more and he was well experienced. I didn't like feeling as helpless as I did when Team Rocket stole Pikachu. We travelled around Sinnoh together after that, cheering each other on and supporting each other through the most crazy situations and events that most people wouldn't even think are real, and over time I developed feelings for him, but It wasnt until he was about to leave that I realised what those feelings where, and it wasnt until we met up in Unova that I knew he shared them".

Iris smiled "You two sound like you were destined to be together, and I must say you make a fantastic couple. You have such a strong bond, I just wish I could find someone to have that with".

"Ash and I always did have a strong bond even before we got together, it certainly has only strengthened since. We bring out the best in each other" Dawn chirped .

"Speaking of Ash, we should call him back, its soon time for dinner and we can't let him miss it".

Dawn giggled "No that would be worse than angering a Legendary on a bad day".

They both stood up and walked over to where Ash had gone, seeing no sign of the young trainer or hearing sounds of his special training. "Ash! Dinner's almost ready!" Dawn called out. Hearing no reply and not seeing Ash come running back was strange. "Ash! C'mon it's dinner time!" Still nothing. Dawn was getting really worried now. Had something happened to him?

Iris could see the worry etched on the other girls face "Ash! Ash!" She shouted as loud as possible. Still getting nothing back, something wasnt right.

Cilan came over after hearing all the commotion wondering what was going off "Girls? Is everything alright?".

Dawn shook her head "No we can't find Ash! He didn't even respond to shouts of dinner being ready!" Cilan's eyes widened, if Ash didn't come in for dinner something WAS wrong.

"Alright, we will split up and look for him, ill take to the tree's in the direction he went, Dawn you go along the path to see if he's come out that way and Cilan you stay with the food and Pokemon incase he comes back" Iris quickly instructed before nimbly jumping up into the branches and sprinting off in the last direction they'd seen Ash go.

Dawn nodded, trying to force her worry and panic down "Right!" She took off towards the path, hoping to Arceus that he was ok.

Cilan made his way back to their little camp and sighed, he had to hold down the fort, which while important, meant he had to stay put and he wanted to be out there looking for his friend. Someone had to watch the Pokemon too. The Pokemon! He quickly ran over and told Togekiss the situation before she nodded and took to the sky to go look. Snivy and Gabite where giving him worried glances, concerned about their trainer "Dont worry, I'm sure they will find Ash soon. Unfortunately the forest around here is really thick and if you wonder in alone you could get lost. Iris has gone because she has plenty of experience running through forests". They didn't look happy but accepted the order, Cilan sighed, he shared their feelings but this was for the best. He hoped the girls would find him soon.

"Ash!" Dawn called out for the hundredth time, getting the same result. Nothing.

Pacing back and forth along the footpath, she tried to keep her nerves in check. Her mind was racing with all the worst possible outcomes and it wasnt helping, Piplup had joined her and shared her concern for his friends. '_Had something happened to him? Did someone take him? Did he have an accident during training?_ Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she tried her best to focus on just finding him. "Coming through!" came the familiar girly voice from down the path.

In too much of a distracted state to move in time, Bianca collided into her and sent them both tumbling over. Grunting Dawn stood up and dusted herself off "Ugh Bianca, must you always do that?" Truthfully she was grateful for the distraction, however brief.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The enigmatic girl repeated whilst bowing in time with each apology, "What are you doing stood out in the middle of the road anyhow?".

Forcing herself to stay calm Dawn explained "I'm looking for Ash, he's m-missing, we don't know what's happened to him and we've split up to find him. I'm so worried..." her eyes where glistening with moisture.

Bianca looked shocked but quickly brought Dawn into a hug "It'll be ok! We'll find him, and ill help!".

Dawn wiped her eyes and nodded "Thank you Bianca".

The blonde smiled at her and they both began searching for Ash, after all he can't of gone far...

Iris was running through the tree tops as fast as she could, looking for any sign of the familiar raven haired trainer and his faithful partner. Nothing, she could see where he'd been training with the obvious scorch marks in a clearing not far from where they were camped. But he'd taken off into the forest for some reason, evident by the trail she was now following. Why had he wondered off? Didnt he know how dangerous that was?

She heard something going off up ahead, hoping that it was somehow related to Ash, she picked up her pace. Coming upon another open clearing she stared, wide eyed at the scene below. Ash was down there and he was fighting several males in black suits. But that's not what caught her attention. Her eyes were drawn to the familiar sight of a metal cage, and what was inside...

**Unova Region - Between Nacrene City and Skyarrow Bridge, An hour earlier**

Ash was pleased, he and Pikachu had started making some progress on toning down the electrical power for regular battles. "Alright Pikachu, once more use Thunderbolt on that tree stump, but try using 70% power this time".

Pikachu nodded and focused the power into his cheeks, using only half the amount he normally would. The extra energy within him was demanding to be used and he had to seriously strain to keep it out, requiring a lot of willpower and concentration. He fired the blue bolt and it connected with its target. The tree stump _disintegrated_. Scratching the back off his head he looked up at Ash "Pikaa".

Ash stared at what was left of the stump and sighed "Still a little too strong huh". He noticed Pikachu's expression and knelt down before rubbing behind his ears softly, earning a satisfied "Chaaaaaa" from him.

Smiling Ash said "No need to worry buddy, we'll get you back to normal power soon enough, then you and I will win the Unova league!" He stuck his thumb up at his partner and Pikachu mimicked the gesture.

They where about to continue when they heard a loud wail come through from somewhere deeper within the forest. Pikachu's ears immediately perked up. "Pika?".

Ash made his way over to the edge of the clearing to see if he could see anything, but nothing was in the immediate area. He'd never heard that cry before but it sounded like it was in serious pain and he feared some Pokemon had become injured and was in need of help. "Can you hear anything Pikachu?".

Pikachu strained his ears. He could faintly make out the sounds of people talking a short distance away and a whimpering of some kind. "Pika pi, pikachu, pika pika!" He shouted pointing in the direction the sounds where coming from.

Understanding the meaning, Ash began making his way through the thick undergrowth, careful not to make too much noise incase there was danger nearby. Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder, the ground was nearly impassable for him. About five minutes of wading their way through ferns and shrubbery they came upon the source of the sounds and they both gasped.

Several men dressed the same as the poachers they ran into last night where walking around another large metal cage. These men seemed more alert and when Ash glanced at what they were keeping he understood why. Inside the metal bars, a barely conscious Cresselia was whimpering softly on the cage floor. She looked in bad shape, one of her sides was devoid of feathers and bleeding profusely. The right crescent-shaped wing was bent at an odd angle and her crescent-shaped fin on her lower back was cut and bleeding in places. Her body was scored with bruises, one eye unable to open fully.

Ash watched horrified as four of the men opened up the cage and went inside. Three of them held down the poor Legendary whilst the fourth began ripping feathers out of her skin. She was crying out in obvious agony and trying her hardest to get free.

Utterly disgusted and filled with righteous fury Ash leapt into the clearing and was about to throw Gabite and Snivy's Pokeballs, only to find his belt empty. He swore, they where back at camp! Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and stood in front of him in a menacing stance.

The men were startled, but upon seeing the lone teen and his Pikachu against the nine of them they starting _laughing_. For how could such a little Pokemon hope to defeat all of them at the same time? They quickly called out all their Pokemon in unison, this was going to be a slaughter. A line of Liepards and Garbodor's materialized in front of them, between the cage and Ash. Some of the men almost looked at Pikachu in pity.

Ash smirked, they obviously didn't know about Pikachu's power and whilst he normally refrained from using electric attacks in their current state during battle, these 'people' deserved it. Hoping that he wouldn't hurt the Pokemon too much, since they really didn't have a choice but to serve those that captured them, he ordered the only attack he'd need.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, half power".

This kid runs in alone and only uses a half powered attack with a Pikachu? Was he mocking them?

The smug expressions of the poachers changed seconds later as intense agony was sent through both them and their Pokemon. The powerful electric current was cut off a few seconds later, leaving the Pokemon and poachers scorched, crispy and completely knocked out. None of them would be moving for a long time.

Ash quickly rushed over to Cresselia, who looked up at him, fear in her eyes wondering what torture awaited her next. He quickly soothed her "It's ok, no one will hurt you now, ill make sure your safe" the genuine concern and care in his voice eased her worries and she collapsed her head into his lap. Fearing for her health he quickly rummaged through his pack to find some medical supplies, but knew with her injuries she'd need serious treatment and soon. Pulling out a Max Potion he'd been saving for an emergency he quick started spraying the most critical area's. She winced slightly but it was nothing compared to the pain of having her feathers ripped out. He then took out some bandages and started patching up the side of her that was bleeding.

Iris snapped out of her daze of seeing so many people and Pokemon taken out with one attack and dropped out of her perch on the nearby tree. Ash whirled thinking that one of the men had someone escaped his attack but noticed the familiar figure of his friend "Iris?".

She ran straight to his side and looked down at the injured Lunar Pokemon, "Is she ok? I saw what they where doing to her..." choking slightly, she recalled the disgusting scene she'd stumbled onto.

Ash clenched his fist as images came back to him, "She's not doing well, ive done the best I can but if she doesn't get to a Pokemon Center soon..." he didn't need to finish his sentence for Iris to understand how bad it was for the poor Pokemon.

"Iris, I need you to go get Dawn and Cilan as well as our Pokemon, if we act fast we can save her. We arent too far from Castelia City and we could carry her to the Pokemon Center" he spoke much more calmly than he felt, but he couldn't allow himself to panic or Cresselia might not make it. "Id go myself, but someone needs to stay with her and your much faster when it comes to traversing through forests".

Iris nodded quickly and took off back to get help, leaving Ash and Cresselia with all the knocked out bodies around them. He prayed to Arceus she'd get them back here in time.

**Unova Region - Present time**

"I wonder if the girls have had any luck?" Cilan asked no one in particular, he was starting to get concerned since none of them had reported back yet, and they had been gone half an hour. Togekiss had come back ten minutes ago and he'd asked her immediately if she'd seen any sight of Ash or Pikachu, but she'd shook her head sadly, the canopy was too thick for her to see . He'd considered sending in the rest of the Pokemon but decided against it, no point in getting more of them lost. He was just about to go and look himself when Iris dropped down into the clearing, urgency evident in her steps. "Iris! did you find Ash?".

She ran over to him and nodded "Yeah, he was fighting a bunch of poachers when I found him, although the battle didn't last long. Listen he's currently with a very injured Legendary Pokemon and he needs us all to come to him so we can get her to a Pokemon Center, otherwise she wont make it!".

Cilan's eye's widened and he nodded quickly "Go get Dawn, she's on the path searching for Ash still. I'll round-up the Pokemon and the camp".

Iris nodded and sprinted off down the pathway they had come in on, in search of the bluenette. Cilan quickly packed up camp and calmly explained what had happened to all the Pokemon. They seemed visibly relieved that Ash was ok and well but worried and curious about this injured Legendary. He told them what he needed of them and they nodded in understanding.

Finding Dawn and some blonde girl with a ditzy aura around her still searching along the pathway, Iris ran up to them "Dawn! We've found Ash! He's ok!".

Dawn felt relief wash through her '_He's ok!'_ but she didn't see him with the other girl "Where is he?".

Iris quickly explained everything that had happened and what she had seen. Dawn and the new girls shocked expressions were replaced with concern and they both nodded in understanding with what they had to do, quickly following Iris back to Cilan. The three of them rejoined the Connoisseur and the rest of their Pokemon and allowed Iris to lead them through the thick forest as fast as possible to where Ash was with Cresselia.

It didn't take them long and they soon burst through into the clearing, taking in the scene before them. There where burnt and knocked out Pokemon and people littered all over the floor, surrounding a large metal cage in the middle. Quickly picking their way through the unconscious bodies they came to Ash's side inside the cage and took in the once beautiful Legendary.

Dawn gasped sadly, she'd seen a Cresselia when they where travelling through Sinnoh. She, Ash and Brock had arrived at Canalave City to find people have nightmares, so they'd been sent to the shrine of Cresselia at Newmoon Island to retrieve a Lunar Wing. Upon getting there they had met a Cresselia and she had given them one of her feathers before fighting off Darkrai, the one responsible for the nightmares. That Cresselia had been radiant and stunning to behold, the poor thing in front of her was beaten, battered and missing half its feathers. "Why would anyone do such a thing?".

"They where after her feathers" Ash explained coolly "While you guys where getting here, I had a quick look around. They where collecting piles of Lunar Wings for something and clearly didn't care about how they got them". He looked down at the injured Legendary and tried to keep the anger from taking over, his hands where already starting to glow blue.

"That's just awful! And she's so pretty..." Bianca said sadly. Everyone looked at her strangely wondering who she was. After a quick explanation she was about to inquire further but Ash silenced her.

"We don't have time to discuss this more, we need to get her to the Pokemon Center" He added quickly, and they all nodded. Returning the Pokemon that couldn't help. Each of them took a side of the Legendary and they lifted her up. She winced and cried out as pain from her injuries flared up, but let them carry her. She knew these people where different, especially the boy with ebony hair. He had an aura around him that she was drawn to.

The Pokemon still left out where Mamoswine and Togekiss, they gently placed Cresselia's limp form on Mamoswine's back and ordered Togekiss to fly on ahead and get Nurse Joy to meet them half way. Time was of the essence.

Cresselia was struggling to stay conscious as the four of them plus the giant Twin Tusk Pokemon, made their way back to the path, the latter just carved his way through the dense forest.

Ash was watching as Cresselia closed her eyes and fell asleep, he really wanted to speed up and get to the center, but knew Mamoswine was going as quick as he could. He'd of taken her himself if he could but she was too heavy and even with the five of them lifting her, getting through the forest would have been a real pain.

Sensing him tense up, Dawn took his hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly. He smiled at her in thanks as they made their way towards Castelia City.

**Unova Region - Back at the clearing**

The men groggily came to a couple of hours later, feeling terrible and having splitting headaches. One of them sat up and realised they weren't alone.

The cloaked man with wavey hair over one side of his face, stood in the clearing, observing the scene. He shook his head in disappointment. These where suppose to be some of the best members Team Plasma had to offer, and they had been beaten by a lone boy and his Pikachu.

One of the men realised whom he was and quickly ran up to him bowing. "I'm sorry Sir, we failed... He was just too strong..." He swallowed loudly as the caped man in front of him narrowed his eyes.

"Pathetic, nine of you get taken out in one attack?!" He struck the man across the face, knocking out a tooth and sending him back to the floor. He wasnt in the mood for stupid excuses. The rest of them wisely stayed silent, not wishing to incur his wrath.

Snarling he made his way over to the box beside the cage to see it was about half filled with Lunar Wings. Sighing he spoke "Lord Ghetsis wont be pleased with so few wings from a captive Cresselia".

The men collectively shivered, no one wanted to be around when Ghetsis was angry. The man with wavey hair could sympathize with them there, and pitied the poor grunt who would have to bring him the news.

"Sir, what do we do now?" One of the grunts spoke up, bowing as he approached.

"These Lunar Wings will have to do, but for your incompetence, none of you shall be receiving one. We will now proceed to phase two. Get moving all of you. NOW!" He snapped out and they all quickly saluted before moving on with their tasks.

He was already thinking about his current mission, it was soon his time to meet up with his old friend Ash Ketchum...

**Next - Chapter 9 : Castelia's Old Rivalry**

**Thanks for reading! Again ill mention there is a poll up on my page about whether or not to add Lemons to this story and make it an M, If you would all be so kind as to vote on that and ill know how to write Chapter 10 and onwards!**

**Next chapter will be out soon so stay tuned!**

**Until next time, peace out.**


	9. Castelia's Old Rivalry

**Before I start ill remind you all of the poll on my channel, it's about the content ill be adding in the future. Please go check it out and vote, and thank you to those who have already.**

**Ive gone back and fixed some spelling mistakes in previous chapters, seems I missed some and I hate the fact that things don't read correctly, so those are all nicely squared away!**

**The story is starting to take shape, and im happy with how its going although I don't think im a great writer by any means, im glad some of you are enjoying it.**

**Anyways, on with the fic!**

**Ages:**

**Colress: 29**

**Burgh: 30**

**May: 16**

**Chapter 9 : Castelia's Old Rivalry**

**Unova Region - ?**

The Grunt slowly entered the room, not at all happy about this current task he'd been given. Unfortunately he had the misfortune to have to give Ghetsis bad news, trying not to sweat and show just how scared he was, he approached his leader.

Ghetsis turned as the man approached, he could tell by the careful manner that this was going to anger him. Abruptly thrusting his hand towards the grunt, who quickly gave him the report, he let his eyes quickly skim over the words. No he wasn't happy. Snarling he threw the report at the grunt who at least had the sense the run out of the room in fear for his life. Good, at least someone around here had an ounce of brains.

The idiots he'd tasked with capturing Cresselia had only managed to get fifty Lunar Wings from the damned thing before it was rescued by some kid and his Pikachu. He was surrounded by fools! His so-called elites had been taken out in one attack if he read correctly. Getting up he decided he'd pay a visit to his main project and see how it was coming along, at least that was going according to plan.

Descending into the hidden chambers buried deep beneath the Plasma Castle, he entered a cavernous room. It was filled with computers, equipment, monitors and various other mechanical bits and pieces, but what caught your attention the most where the tube like capsules filling half the enormous space. Each one was filled with liquid and had a variety of pipes and wires trailing from them, linked to the central hub where his chief scientist was hard at work. Upon seeing his leader approach he tipped his glasses. "So, the great Ghetsis has deigned to give me a visit, to what do I owe the pleasure?".

Ghetsis smirked "Colress, ive come to make sure everything is on schedule, will _they_ be ready in time?" He motioned towards the many tanks.

Colress was a man in his late twenties, he had slicked back blond hair with a blue strand that snaked from his fringe and around his head. He wore half glasses on his face, and a white lab coat typical of his profession. A black top outlined with a thick light blue trim visible beneath, matched by his leggings. On his feet he wore simple black shoes. "They will be indeed, great Sage, it's quite fascinating bringing out their power like this. The results when applied on an en mass scale should be quite _efficient_".

"Good, make sure that everything comes out as planned, this is the most important part of the entire operation and im trusting you not to screw up" he glared at the scientist, he didn't like the way he seemed to remain so calm and confident in his presence.

"Your trust is well placed, I assure you. This is all rather exciting for me, and im just as anxious as you are to see the final results" Colress added whilst not stopping his ministrations on the computer.

Ghetsis turned and walked over to one of the many tanks, looking intently at the creature within. He allowed himself a genuine smile, quite a rare sight. Soon, everything he wanted would be his, providing his naive son would do his part.

Thinking of N he decided it was time to check up on his other project, equally important to the final step, and he briskly marched out of the room, his cloak fluttering behind him.

Colress watched him leave, he still found it amusing how Ghetsis tried to scare him every time they met. The man had some crazy ambitions, but as long as he was allowed to conduct his research unimpeded he didn't care, and he concentrated on the mammoth task in front of him.

**Unova Region - Skyarrow Bridge**

They were met by Nurse Joy at the entrance to the bridge, she had assembled a team of helpers and Audino's to treat the stricken Legendary and had brought a bunch of field supplies to keep her going until they reached the center. "She's suffered some serious blood loss and is lucky to still be breathing, you've done a good job keeping her alive long enough to get help" she complimented them before quickly treating her.

A lot of passerby's where stopping to get a look or just simply staring when they saw a Cresselia laid out on a stretcher by the side of the road, and quite the crowd was starting to form around them. Unfortunately this wasnt ideal and would just stress out Cresselia more than nessacery, so Ash, Dawn, Iris, Cilan and Bianca set to work in keeping the masses at bay.

After hooking up the Legendary to several tubes and machines, Nurse Joy announced she would be stable enough to reach the Pokemon Center. The group of them made their way across the grand bridge and into Castelia City, all the while keeping curious civilians back. They made it to the center which was located rather close to the bridge, outside the main port leading of the City, and Cresselia was immediately sent back into the operating room for a serious operation.

Ash slumped in a chair, he was more drained than most. Not only had he had to save the poor Pokemon but he also had to literally save her life on their way here. He still wasn't sure how exactly he did it, and recalled the event that happened no less than an hour ago...

**Flashback**

_They had made it through the dense forest and found their way back to the path. Cresselia was barely holding up and it was painfully obvious that they weren't going fast enough. Ash kept sparing her worried glances and if it wasn't for Dawn he would be freaking out in panic, she always knew how to read him. _

_They where coming within sight of the bridge and Ash relaxed slightly, and went over to reassure Cresselia, to let her know they were almost there, when he couldn't see her breathing. Quickly climbing up onto Mamoswine and checking her pulse he found she didn't have one... which meant that..._

_"NO, you can't die! Please Cresselia, don't give up!" Tears where starting to stream down his face as he was trying to resuscitate the Legendary. Everyone else looked up in shock, then in sad defeat. Water building in their eyes at the scene before them. Ash was pumping down on Cresselia's chest whilst tears where spilling from his cheeks and onto the Legendary's limp form. Pikachu hopped up next to him, ears dropped and eyes sad "Pika..."._

_Not knowing what else to do, Ash focusing his will into saving Cresselia, just like he did when Dawn was in danger. Channelling everything he had he forced it through and into the Pokemon. An intense blue Aura flared up around him and poured out of his hands before being absorbed into the still form before him. The strain was unbearable, but he didn't give up, if he could use his Aura to give Cresselia another chance at life he'd do it. _

_After a couple of minutes he finally gave out and had to stop, breathing heavily he quickly checked for a pulse. An immense smile crossed his face and he let out a heart-felt laugh, feeling the steady beat of her heart. He leaned down and brought Cresselia into a hug, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled, cooeing her thanks and nuzzling his leg._

_Everyone let out their held in breaths at the touching scene before them, equally relieved and amazed at what they had just witnessed._

_Dawn climbed up onto Mamoswine to bring Ash into a hug "You truly are amazing, you know that?" He smiled at her and they shared a passionate kiss._

**Flashback end**

"How are you holding up Ash?" Cilan asked as he took a seat next to him. Witnessing the strain he'd put himself through to keep Cresselia alive, he knew the younger trainer had to be feeling tired.

"I just need to get a good night's sleep and ill be fine, no need to worry" he stuck his thumb up at his friend and gave him a weary smile. "Using my Aura like that is just draining, that's all, im more worried about Cresselia, I hope she pulls through..."

"After everything you did for her, im sure she will. You concentrate on recovering your own energy, wouldn't want to spoil your enthusiastic recipe with an addition of fatigue now would we?"

Ash laughed lightly at his friend, grateful for his words and presence. Cilan was hard not to like, and he was glad that he offered to join them. Besides he could cook just as good as Brock could and that made him a winner in Ash's eyes. Nodding he slowly stood up and got a room for himself and Dawn and slowly made his way over to his bed to take a well-earned nap.

Bianca came back from the corner of the room where she'd been having a conversation with Professor Juniper over her Cross-Transceiver. "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but after telling the Professor our little story, she's asked me to run her a few errands, I hope you'll forgive me".

Cilan shook his head "You have been more than helpful Bianca, and it was great meeting you, im sure our paths will cross again in the near future".

She smiled then bowed "Thank you, give Ash and Cresselia my best wishes!" With that the ditzy blonde rushed out the door to go carry out whatever the Professor asked of her.

Iris and Dawn came back from the cafeteria with cups of coffee, and took the now empty seats next to Cilan. "Hey where'd Ash go? And where's Bianca?" Dawn asked, sitting down.

"He's getting some much-needed rest, saving the life of a Legendary is no easy feat" Cilan answered her. "And Bianca had some important business for the Professor, she had to leave".

Dawn nodded understanding and took a drink from her coffee, finding the drink relaxing after a stressful few hours.

"I see what you meant now Dawn" Iris added, taking a sip of her coffee.

The bluenette turned to face her "Huh?".

"When you said uve never seen anyone care more about Pokemon than Ash, ive never seen anyone do what he just did, Aura or not, the genuine compassion in his eyes was a rare thing".

Dawn smiled at her "Your right. I'm a lucky girl to be so close to him, he's one of a kind, truly".

They sat there for an hour, keeping up the small talk whilst waiting for the results with Cresselia's operation. Nurse Joy came through the door shortly after they had run out of things to say and all heads turned to her. "I'm pleased to say that Cresselia will make a full recovery" Everyone sighed in relief. "It was close though, if you didn't get her here when you did, I fear to think what would have happened".

"You can thank Ash for that, he's the one that truly saved her" Dawn spoke up from her second cup of coffee. Iris and Cilan nodded in consent.

"Well, if you want, you can visit her. She's awake and stable and would probably like to meet the boy responsible for saving her life" Joy smiled then went back behind the double doors, onto her next job.

"You two go on ahead, ill go wake Ash" They nodded and walked through the back, ahead of their friends. "Pikachu, Piplup you two best come with me, you know how hard it is to wake him when he's sleepy" she giggled.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu came running over followed by her own starter.

"Piplup pip!" he added, before the three of them made their way to Ash's room.

Ash was in the middle of his dreams, or rather, very vivid _nightmares_. His skin was covered with a film of sweat and his eyes where darting back and forth rapidly under closed lids. In his dreams everything was going wrong, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Everything he'd been through was replayed in his mind only with everything _not_ working out in the end. He was powerless as he watched his friends and family die over and over as well as every other living being on the planet.

Dawn walked into their room and was about to cheekily ask Pikachu and Piplup to give Ash a wake up call, when she noticed the pained expression on his face. Quickly running over to his side with worry she shook him and tried to wake him "Ash! Wake up, your having a nightmare!". When that didn't work she asked Pikachu to give him a very light Thunderbolt, taking into account his new-found power.

Pikachu nodded and zapped his trainer with a minimal amount of energy, it was just enough to re-enact a regular Thunderbolt and Ash's eyes snapped open and he fell out of bed, crispy but very awake. Dawn would have giggled but was too concerned. "Ash are you ok? You looked like you where going through some painful dreams".

Shaking his head to clear the remnants of the nightmares he stood up. "I was, thank you Pikachu. I've not had such terrible dreams like that in a long time. Everything was wrong, nothing we did turned out right and everyone was-".

Dawn brought him into a hug and silenced him "Its ok, it was just a nightmare, nothing more" Ash pulled back and smiled at her in thanks, before linking his hands with her own. "And besides we have some good news! Cresselia is ok, and you can go see her if you want" his smiled widened and he nodded. They made their way through to the back where Cresselia was being kept, still holding hands, to meet up with Cilan and Iris.

When they entered the room, they found their friends sitting by the bed of the recovering Legendary gently talking to her and stroking her side. Upon entering Cresselia turned her head and locked gazes with Ash. Looking into each others eye's an unspoken conversation passed between them and without saying a word she knew he was the one responsible for saving her life. Cooeing she smiled and he walked over taking her into a hug, she nuzzled him affectionately. "I'm so glad your ok, you had me really worried back there on the path" he finally spoke, a single tear running down his face.

"Oh Ash" Dawn stood next to her boyfriend and squeezed his hand, resting her head on his shoulder.

Seeing the purity in his heart, a purity so rare and so true Cresselia made a fateful decision, she had a feeling of what was coming to pass in Unova and nodded to herself. She knew the boy in front of her would be a major part in the coming events and knew the best place for her would be by his side. Before the shocked four could do so much as blink, a Pokeball lifted itself from Ash's belt, surrounded by a blue psychic aura. It then floated over to the Legendary and she disappeared inside it in a beam of red energy, it pinged instantly and fell into a stunned Ash's free hand.

Everyone stared at the Pokeball with eye's wide open and mouths nearly touching the floor. "Did Ash just catch a Legendary without even lifting a finger?" Iris managed to get out, disbelief displayed on her face.

Ash turned the Pokeball over in his hand, trying to rationalize what had just happened. He just caught Cresselia? He rubbed his eyes but the Pokeball didnt disappear. He honestly couldn't find words to say. "W-wow".

"That was an unexpected spice added to the mixture for sure" Cilan had never heard of a Legendary capturing _itself_ before.

It finally dawned on Ash what had happened, a big smile creasing his face "All right! I just caught a... Cresselia!" He did his victory pose and Pikachu took his que and jumped up in front of him to give a peace sign "Pika!".

Everyone burst out laughing, Ash and Pikachu included. Truly, one of a kind indeed.

Placing his new unexpected team member on his belt, the four of them made their way towards the front desk, best to explain to Nurse Joy where the Legendary Pokemon in her care suddenly vanished to. "Hey Nurse Joy, listen... uhm... about Cresselia..." Ash started.

She looked at him curiously "Yes, what about her?".

"Well, she kind of... captured herself... in my Pokeball" he gave her an uneasy grin, scratching the back of his head. It didn't sound a very believable story. Oh sure, a conveniently weakened Legendary captured itself in one your Pokeballs, even he wouldn't believe it.

Too his surprise she smiled and nodded "I think she knew what you did for her, although it is rare for a Legendary to choose a trainer, it's not unheard of. A Legendary Pokemon will only go with a trainer they respect a whole lot".

Ash looked at the Pokeball on his belt, feeling all warm inside. She had chosen him as her trainer because she respected him, he'd not been this proud in a long time. "Thanks for everything Nurse Joy, we couldn't have saved her without your help".

"It's no problem, it's why I do my job" she spoke warmly before returning to what she was doing.

They walked out of the center into the warm afternoon air, it was around 7 pm and thanks to it being summer, the sun was still high in the sky. "I still can't believe you have a Legendary Pokemon in your team Ash! And she's so pretty, when we get back you have to let me use her in contests!" Dawn squealed from his arm, picturing how beautiful it would look using a _Cresselia_ in an appeals round.

"If she's ok with it, of course you can. It's still sinking in to be honest" he nodded in a direction further into the city "If we hurry, I can still challenge the Gym here before it closes! It's time for badge number two! Right buddy?" he asked turning his head to his right shoulder.

"Pika pika, pikachu!" He was definitely ready for this.

A loud foghorn caught all their attention as they walked past the main dock leading into Unova's Capital. "Hey, it's a luxury cruise, and by the looks of it, its come from a different Region!" Cilan exclaimed, seeing all kinds of new Pokemon departing the ship with their trainers. "It's nice to see more people discovering Unova, adding more flavour and enhancing the finished meal!".

Iris deadpanned "Your such a kid at times Cilan".

Ash was looking at the types of Pokemon leaving the cruise ship, a Torchic, Breloom, Kirlia, Slakoth and Milotic could be seen through the crowd, along with many others, making it rather obvious where the boat had come from. "It's come from Hoenn, man it's been a while since I was last there. It's great seeing all those Pokemon again though!".

"Wow, there are so many amazing looking Pokemon!" Iris searched before finally going starry-eyed and almost swooning "Look Axew! It's a Shelgon!".

"Ew Axew!" Her partner shared her expression.

"Such a little kid" Dawn giggled, and everyone but Iris burst out laughing. Iris was just about to rage at the bluenette when a Beautifly landed on Ash's head. Confused, Cilan and Iris gave Ash a questioning look.

"I wonder..." He said, looking up at the familiar sight of the Butterfly Pokemon.

"Beauuuutiflyyy!" She cooed from his hat, getting comfy. Ash could only think of one Beautifly that did that.

Quickly scanning the large crowd getting off the boat, his eye's fell on a very familiar green headband. "May!" He shouted out, running towards her.

She finally saw him and her fact lit up, a massive smile appearing across her features, "Ash?! I didn't expect to see you here!" They met and embraced into a hug "It's so good to see you again!".

Dawn,Iris and Cilan came running up. The latter two wondering who this new girl was, whilst Dawn was trying and failing to control her jealousy. That hug seemed to last a little too long for her liking.

Finally breaking apart, Ash took in May's appearance. She still wore the same outfit she had when he'd last seen her at the Wallace Cup, the orange sleeveless shirt, the black skin-tight bike shorts, but it was clearly a larger fit. May had grown, she was as tall as Ash was, and her hair was slightly longer, the most clear feature being her chest. She had never been small in that area but now it's clearly evident that Arceus favoured her in that department. Quickly averting his eyes from that area he blushed slightly.

She looked at him, like if it was the first time she'd seen him. He'd changed in the time since she'd last seen him, and not just his outfit. His voice had gotten a bit deeper but kept the huskiness that she loved so much, he was taller, standing at around 6ft2 and his famous unruly black hair was a little bit longer, framing his face slightly but still kept under a cap. He was really handsome and she had to admit she liked what she saw.

He then introduced her to his new friends. "Cilan, Iris meet May a good friend of mine from the Hoenn Region, May meet Cilan a Pokemon Connoisseur and Gym Leader and Iris an aspiring Dragon Master".

"It's great to meet you both! Any friend of Ash's is a friend of mine" May chirped extending her hand to the Unovans.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, to have come all the way from Hoenn on a cruise liner must have been quite the journey, I hope you're not too tired to enjoy the delicacies of Unova" Cilan shook her hand and bowed.

"Dont mind him, he's like that, its great to meet you May" Iris introduced herself "And this here is my partner Axew".

"Axew!" May studied the strange new Pokemon in the younger girl's hair "Wow ive never seen a Pokemon like that before!" She pulled out her Pokedex but it came back with no information.

"You'll need an Unovan upgrade May, you see due to its isolation Unova's Pokemon can't be found anywhere else" Ash told her, she sighed and put her Pokedex, before reintroducing herself to the bluenette.

"Hi Dawn! I didn't expect to see you here either, especially since I didn't think they did contests in Unova" she brought her old friend into a hug.

"Great to see you too May, what are you doing here?" She managed to grate out between clenched teeth. She didn't know why she felt this jealous. Maybe it was that Ash used to travel with her and they are close? It certainly didn't help she had such a large chest, she suddenly felt the urge to stuff her bra.

Not catching the tone in Dawn's voice or just choosing to ignore it May continued "I'm here to see an Anniversary Musical in Nimbasa City, it's a special show they do once a year and when I found out about it, I had to come see it! Is that why your here?"

Dawn smiled and walked next to Ash, taking his hand in her own and leaning against him "Actually im here with Ash".

May's eyes widened and her mouth hung open. '_Ash Ketchum has a girlfriend?'_ Was the only thing that came through her mind, the thought seemed incredulous to her. He was always so _dense_ about these things when she travelled with him, she had to admit if it wasn't for that she would have asked him out herself. Now seeing him, with Dawn hanging off his arm, May felt a twang of jealousy. "You two are... together?" She finally asked.

"Yeah, we got together shortly after coming to Unova. We had both fallen for each other during our Sinnoh journey without knowing it at the time. She actually came all the way here to tell me her feelings, and we've been together ever since" Ash explained, giving Dawn a quick kiss on the lips. Completely oblivious to the jealousy on May's face.

Dawn noticed it though, and smiled inwardly. She'd have to keep an eye on the brunette, she liked May but didn't trust her when it came to Ash, they both had too much history together.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu ran up to May's shoulder rubbing his cheeks against hers. She smiled and ruffled the hair on his head "It's great to see you too Pikachu! I've missed you!".

She finally noticed Beautifly still sat on Ash's hat "So that's where you went off to, I should have known, you always did enjoy sitting on his head" giggling at the pouting face her Pokemon made when she returned her.

"Hey May, we are just heading over to my next Gym Battle, you're welcome to come watch if you want" Ash offered smiling at her.

Quickly glancing at Dawn she smiled back "Sure Ash, Id love too! It's been a while since ive seen you battle in a Gym!".

With that the group of friends made their way through the bustling city streets of Castelia, towards the Gym and Ash's next Badge.

"So how have the Contests been going? I heard you came second in the Johto Grand Festival, that's great!" Ash said in his usual enthusiasm.

"Thanks, im not gonna lie it was disappointing to come in second place again, but it just mean's ill have to work that much harder!".

"Didnt your friend Drew win that Contest?" Dawn asked, talking about Contests easily distracted her from her jealousy towards her friend.

May's face darkened at the mention of Drew's name "Yeah, he did".

Something had clearly happened between the two of them, Dawn was about to question it but saw that she'd get nothing more out of her and let it go.

Everyone in the group suddenly felt it get kind of awkward and could feel the tension rise slightly.

"So where are you doing Contest's at the moment?" Dawn quickly asked, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.

"Well im actually in Sinnoh, the new Contest circuit has started there and ive already won my first Ribbon!" She pulled a small metal case out of her fanny pack and opened it revealing a familiar Ribbon sat on a soft silk holder.

"Cool, you have the Floaroama Ribbon!" Dawn fished out her Sinnoh case and opened it, revealing her own identical one.

Iris and Cilan leaned in closer "Wow they are so pretty, Contest's sound really cool. I wish they had them in Unova so I could see one" Iris pouted.

"It would be an enriching experience to witness such spice and flavour mixed into the recipe for battle, I admit, I too would like to see a Contest" Cilan added in his own unique way.

"If you want May and I could have a Contest battle tomorrow, to show you what it's all about? What do you say May?" Dawn asked her friend.

"That sounds like fun, we havent battled since the Wallace Cup" She grinned back.

The Unovan's where clearly happy at the prospect of seeing a Contest Style battle, and wondered exactly what they where going to see.

"Speaking of battles, we're here!" Ash announced from Dawn's side. The five of them stood outside a rather unique looking Gym. From the outside it seemed to be some kind of Art Gallery, just like the Striaton Gym looked like restaurant... "Cilan, do all Gym's of Unova look like something they're not?"

Cilan laughed slightly "A lot of our Gym's leaders like to display their own personal taste when it comes to the appearance of their Gym's. So you'll see a wide variety of different structures and arena's".

Shrugging, Ash led the rest of them inside, curious as to what he'd find. He wasnt expecting _this_. The entire Gym was some kind of tropical jungle, with tree's, plants and general greenery as far as they could see. Various Unovan bug types where running around through the canopy of the many plants and they looked curiously at the newcomers. "Erhm hello? I'm here for a Gym Battle!"

A rather _colorfully_ dressed man suddenly burst out of a nearby tree, making everyone jump slightly. "A challenger? Welcome to the Castelia Gym!" He swung down and out and stood before the group.

He was a man just passed his youth with long curly locks of brown hair that reached his shoulders and framed his face. He had a red-pinkish scarf around his neck and a tight-fitting green shirt. His leggings where the same colour as his scarf but where striped with light and dark green. A belt with a butterfly clasp around his waist. He was fairly tall, but slim, similar to N.

"I've never seen a Gym with so many plant's and tree's inside it before" Cilan commented looking around.

"Well this is a Gym for bug types, so we had all this imported to make them the perfect home! All this came from Pinwheel Forest purely for their benefit" he smiled and gestured to the scenery around them "There's nothing better than lots of greenery for a bug type Pokemon lover, and it's this type of beautiful and natural enviroment that gives me inspiration".

"That's really cool that you did all this for bug types and they seem really happy! Hi my name's Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu" he extended his hand towards the Gym Leader.

"Pikapi pikachu" his friend announced from his shoulder.

"Greetings Ash, my name is Burgh, the Castelia Gym Leader. And who are all these fine and wonderful people?" He gestured to the group standing behind him.

"Hi, my names Dawn, and this is Piplup" the bluenette introduced herself.

"Piplup!" Her partner proudly followed her lead.

"I'm Cilan, a Pokemon Connoisseur and Gym Leader to the Striaton City Gym" Cilan performed his usual bow.

"Nice to meet you Burgh, im Iris. I'm from the Village of Dragons with my partner Axew, im training to become a Dragon Master" she announced after Cilan.

"Axew ax" her Pokemon did likewise from his perch in her hair.

"And im May, im actually visiting here from Hoenn" the brunette finished the introductions.

"Such a wonderful group of friends, well young man shall we get started?" he turned his attention back to Ash.

"Of course! You ready for this Pikachu?" His friend nodded from his shoulder, grinning. He was glad to be back in the battle rotation. "All right time to get my second Unova Gym Badge!"

Dawn walked up to him "Good luck sweetie, I know you'll win for sure!" She gave him a quick chaste kiss on the lips and walked off with the others. No one noticed May wince from the back.

Ash and Burgh took up positions on either side of the battlefield that was placed in the middle of the indoor jungle, and an offical referee came to stand at the side. Everyone else was seated on a nearby bench getting a good view of the battle.

"This will be a three on three battle between the challenger Ash Ketchum from the Kanto Region, against Burgh the Gym Leader. The battle will be over when three Pokemon on one side are unable to continue. There is no time limit and only the challenger may make substitutions. Send out your first Pokemon!" The referee called out from the side.

"It's a Gym Leader's duty to show you my choice of Pokemon first, and that choice is... Dwebble, let's go!" Burgh threw a Pokeball towards the field and it snapped out spilling out a white light which formed into his first Pokemon. The Pokemon in question was a small orange coloured hermit crab with two large front talons and two extended eyes. Protecting its back was a cone of rock shaped like a shell. "Dwebble!" He announced his entrance.

"Dwebble huh?" Ash quickly brought out his Pokedex to get information on the small bug type. It whirred and announced its facts while the information was displayed on the screen, "Dwebble the Stone Hermit Pokemon. When it finds a stone of suitable size, it secretes a liquid from its mouth to crawl into". Putting away his Pokedex he decided who to use.

Dwebble was a rock and bug type, so Snivy wouldn't work well since his bug moves would really hurt her. He could choose between Pikachu, Gabite and of course Cresselia. Although he didn't want to use the latter, using a Legendary in a Gym Battle was pointless to Ash, for how could you say you've earned a Badge when you overpowered your opponent with a super charged Pokemon?

Making his choice he picked a Pokeball from his belt and threw it at the field " Gabite, I choose you!" The ball snapped open and Ash's only dragon type stood ready for battle "Gaaaaabite!" he roared at his opponent.

"A dragon-ground type, an excellent choice! But it'll take more than that to defeat my Dwebble" Burgh called out across the field.

"I hope so! Im looking forward to a good battle!" Ash called back and both of them grinned in anticipation.

"Are both sides ready to start the match?" Getting a nod from both, the referee continued "Then let the battle begin!".

"Dwebble start this off with an X-scissor!" Burgh called out straight away.

"Dwebble dweb!" The small bug type jumped high into the air, claws glowing as he came down on Gabite, bringing his arms across in an X pattern.

"Gabite, wait until the last second then dodge! Then use Brick Break!" Ash countered.

Gabite nodded and kept his eyes focused on his opponent, watching him close in, then at the last second side-stepped and watched as Dwebble sped past him and cut an X on the floor. Right claw already glowing white, he brought it down hard on the shell home of the Stone Hermit Pokemon.

Dwebble winced as the reverberation shook him, and he looked up worried as a small crack appeared on his rock house as he waddled back towards his side of the field.

"Not bad Ash. Dwebble use Shell Smash!" Burgh called out his second command.

Dwebble leapt out of his damaged home, before surrounding himself in a powerful glow, then the glow shattered, leaving Dwebble's attack and speed stats seriously boosted. "Dwebble!"

"Shell smash increases Dwebble's speed and attack but lower its defence, Burgh is trying to do as much damage to Gabite as he can before his Pokemon faints" Cilan commentated from the bench.

"Come on Ash, you can do it! Let's go Gabite!" Dawn cheered in her normally peppy manner. Piplup copying her actions from her side.

Grinning from the ever vigilant support from his girlfriend, Ash focused on what Burgh was planning next. How would he follow that up? "Be ready Gabite, we don't know what he's planning".

Gabite was watching his foe patiently, ready to react at a moment's notice.

"Now Dwebble, run in close!" Burgh commanded.

Ash narrowed his eyes, whatever was going on required a close range. He wasnt going to make it so easy for the Gym Leader "Gabite, use Dragon Rage on the ground in front of Dwebble!".

"Ga Gabite" focusing the draconic energy within himself, he opened his mouth and spat out a fierce beam of blue energy shaped like the head of a dragon directly in Dwebble's path. The small bug type ran into the dust cloud sent up from the attack and stumbled when his legs tried to find purchase in the now torn up ground.

Seeing his chance Ash continued "Now Gabite! Use Dragon Rush!".

Gabite immediately leapt into the air and his jet protrusions on the side of his head started glowing blue with energy. A blue aura of power surrounded him as he made his decent, gaining speed, intent on smashing the small bug type into the floor.

Burgh knew if that attack hit, Dwebble wouldn't survive it, not with lowered defence. Seeing only one option available to him he called out "Dwebble, use Rock Wrecker!".

From the sidelines Ash's friends watched with anticipation as both Pokemon closed in, powering their attacks. "Ash better hope that Gabite can land his attack before Dwebble does, if that Rock Wrecker goes off at close range it could seriously hurt" Cilan informed them.

"Come on Gabite!" Dawn cheered on.

Ash narrowed his eyes, he could see the distance between the two closing rapidly, and the boulder in Dwebble's hands get bigger and bigger. '_Come on! Almost there!'_ Gabite was a few feet away from his opponent when Dwebble had a suitably sized boulder between his claws.

Seeing the only moment to try and knock out Gabite, Burgh quickly gave the command "Now Dwebble! Rock Wrecker!".

Dwebble screamed his name and launched the boulder, point black into Gabite's face, just as Gabite smashed into him with a fully charged Dragon Rush.

The resulting explosion shook the arena and sent shards of dirt and stone flying everywhere, Ash held onto his cap as a strong gust of air rushed passed him.

Everyone squinted through the cloud of dust to see the results. Eventually it cleared enough for everyone to see a bruised but standing Gabite and the imprint of Dwebble in the arena floor, swirls for eyes.

The referee took a quick look at Dwebble then raised his flag "Dwebble is unable to battle, the winner of the first round is Gabite".

"Way to go Gabite! You can do this!" Dawn continued on with her enthusiastic cheering.

May glanced over at the other female, wondering if this is how all of Ash's Sinnoh Gym Battles sounded like.

"You did a fantastic job Dwebble, take a good long rest" Burgh sighed as he recalled his first Pokemon, he was hoping the close range powered up Rock Wrecker would have taken Gabite with him. "Your Gabite is quite resilient Ash, you should be proud of him".

Ash grinned "I am, Gabite is valuable asset to my team and has been a great team-mate since Sinnoh" he gave his Pokemon a thumbs up.

Gabite nodded his appreciation and got ready for round two, wondering who he'd be up against next.

"Now for my next Pokemon, Whirlipede, its your turn!" He threw his second Pokeball into the air and it snapped open revealing Burgh's next choice.

Whirlipede looked like a living tire, its body was purple with red circles on its outer skin. It has several spiked protrusions coming from the outside of its wheel-shaped body and two large antennae on its front side and a single feeler on the back. Towards its center it has black coloured skin surrounding its eye's.

Again pulling out his Pokedex on a Pokemon he'd not yet encountered Ash began reading all the fact's he could. "Whirlipede the Curlipede Pokemon. Storing energy for evolution, it sits. But, when predators approach, it moves to stab them with poison spikes" the usual monotone voice blurted out.

"Think you can handle this one Gabite?" Ash called out to his dragon type.

Gabite turned and gave him a grin, saying all that needed to be said.

"I'll be sticking with Gabite, feel free to call out the first move" he grinned.

"As you wish, Whirlipede Poison Sting" Burgh commanded.

"Whirli-pede!" the bug-poison type leapt up and spun its body at an alarming rate, firing purple darts at Gabite.

"Gabite block with your wings, then counter with Dragon Rage!" Ash told his Pokemon.

Bringing up his arms in a cross position, Gabite enduring the barrage of Poison Stings, whilst charging up the draconic energy within, when the barrage stopped he opened his arms and unleashed the Dragon Rage at his opponent.

Whirlipede had no time to dodge and took the attack full on, grunting in pain.

"Hang in there Whirlipede! Steamroller now!" Burgh ordered, he needed to get some more damage in and finish off that Gabite, he couldn't let Ash take out two of his Pokemon with only his first.

Whirlipede leapt up again and started building up immense speed spinning in the air for a few seconds, until his outline started glowing white. Satisfied with his momentum he launched himself forward towards Gabite.

"Use Dig to dodge!" Ash countered quick.

Gabite immediately dug down into the earth as the rolling ball that was Whilipede passed by, then rolled around for a second pass, keeping his speed up so Gabite couldnt land an attack from underneath the earth.

Ash knew he couldn't do much in from underground, other than another crazy Draco Meteor stunt like he did in Striaton, but with Gabite's weakened state he didn't know if he could survive that. He was cut off from his thoughts by Burgh's next attack order.

"Whirlipede, use Toxic on the hole!"

Whirlipede stopped spinning and shot a torrent of purple sludge down the hole to where Gabite was, forcing the dragon type out to breathe and poisoning him.

"Now use Venoshock!" Burgh issued.

"Whirli-pede!" The bug type jumped up and spun again, this time shooting another bout of liquid at Gabite, just as he came out of his hole. Because of his poisoned state he took extra damage and grunted in obvious pain.

"Hang in there Gabite!" Dawn called from the sidelines.

"Piiiiipluuuuuuuuuuuuuup" Piplup added for extra enthusiasm.

"Gabite is in bad shape, he's poisoned and he's taken a lot of damage from both rounds of fighting, if Ash doesn't end this soon im afraid Gabite will be out" Cilan told the group.

Ash gritted his teeth, he needed to end this and fast or poison would finish him off. Quickly thinking up a one shot strategy he used against Team Rocket shortly after arriving in Unova he called out "Gabite, use Draco Meteor, and when the meteor's land charge in with a maximum powered Brick Break!"

Gabite nodded before planting his feet and bracing himself. Gathering massive amounts of energy within he started channeling it "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabite!" Roaring his name he launched the most power dragon type move into the air before it exploded raining down onto the battlefield. Following that up he charged towards his opponent with his right arm raised, glowing white with power.

Burgh saw the combination coming, one that could probably knock out his Whirlipede in a single moment. Thinking he decided to try to take out Gabite before the attacks could land. "Whirlipede , intercept Gabite with Steamroller!"

Whirlipede span again until white light limned his body, then he charged forward to meet Gabite's charge. A meteor was dropping at the point where they would both meet but they continued on course, intent on taking out the other and winning the round for their trainers.

"Gaaaaaaabite!" Gabite yelled slamming down his claw as he approached the bug-poison type. Brick Break met Streamroller in a clash of power, just as a meteor landed into the mix.

Another large explosion ensued and both Pokemon were sent flying back, landing hard and carving furrow's in the battlefield's floor.

When the dust settled both Pokemon where laying on their backs, swirls for eyes and unable to continue.

The referee raised both flags "Both Gabite and Whirlipede are unable to battle. This round is a tie. Trainers send out your next Pokemon".

"That was a close match, I wonder which Pokemon Ash is going to use next?" Cilan mused, watching both trainer's return their Pokemon.

"Do you think he will use her?" Iris asked excitedly, hoping she'd get to see Cresselia in action.

"Ash wouldn't use her in a Gym Battle, he wouldn't consider it a fair fight. It's just not how he does it" Dawn answered her, knowing her boyfriend well.

Iris looked disappointed but nodded understanding. May lifted a curious eyebrow, wondering what they where talking about.

"You did a great job Gabite, im proud of you" Ash spoke to his Pokeball before attaching it to his belt. "Alright buddy, your up, lets end this match and get my second Unova Badge!".

"Pika pika!" Pikachu eagerly leapt off Ash's shoulder and onto his side of the field.

"Ah your using your main Pokemon, then its only right that I do the same, Leavanny come on out! Burgh threw his third and final Pokeball onto the field, revealing his favourite Pokemon.

Leavanny looked extremely bug-like. She had a round face with two antennae ending in two half circles protruding from her forehead, and she had a leafy collar cresting the back of her head. Her body was mostly coloured different shades of green, but some features like her face where yellow. Her arms ended in two leaf shaped hands which looked like something had taken a bite out of each in the centre and she had a large leaf extending from her back, covering her small tail. Her legs had leaf-like armor plating covering them.

After getting the information from his Pokedex, the referee started the final round of this Gym Battle.

"Are both sides ready to continue?" Again after receiving two nods he threw down his flags "Then let the battle resume!".

"Leavanny use Razor Leaf!" Burgh started out.

"Lea-vanny" She cried as she brought her arms forward and shot several razor sharp leaves towards Pikachu.

Ash grinned, pulled his cap backwards and decided to see how well Pikachu's power dampening training had payed off, with her being a grass and bug type it wouldn't hurt as much anyhow.

"Alright Pikachu use Volt Tackle, half power!" Ash told his friend.

Getting curious glances from everyone who hadn't seen Pikachu's full power in action yet, Ash nodded for Pikachu to start his attack.

Pikachu started running towards the Razor Leaf attack building up the electric energy, and trying his hardest to keep the insane amounts of power Zekrom gave him in check. "Pika pika pika pika pika pika pika PIKA PIKA PIKA PIKA" he started chanting feeling some of the energy leak through and make his attack extra powerful.

Large amounts of electric energy starting pouring off Pikachu, and he smashed through the Razor Leaf like it was nothing and continued on towards a shocked Burgh and startled Leavanny. Just before he connected with the opposing Pokemon his electric aura field flashed a fierce blue. "**PIKA!**" He yelled slamming into Leavanny and unleashing the torrent of power stored around him.

A small shockwave rippled from the impact and large cloud of dust rocketed skywards, Burgh was knocked off his feet and landed on his backside. Ash was able to stay standing and was peering intently at the damage done, clearly Pikachu still needed a bit of work in controlling that power...

The dust settled to reveal a rather crispy Leavanny and a sheepish Pikachu, he scratched the back of his head and looked at Ash "Pika pi". He'd only used half power!

Everyone, except Ash and Iris stared in shock at the results, they where either unaware of Pikachu's power boost, or hadn't seen it in action yet. A startled referee shakily raised one of his flags in disbelief.

"L-Leavanny is u-unable to b-battle, the round and the m-match goes to Ash Ketchum!" he finally announced.

Ash turned to see the shocked looks on his friend's faces, then burst out laughing. Everyone wondered what was so funny and turned to look at each other. The shockwave had contained static electricity and everyone's hair was spiked up and sparkling.

Dawn quickly pulled out a mirror from her bag and held it up. The blood drained from her face when she saw the infamous DD hairstyle. She screamed then directed her murderous gaze on her boyfriend "Ash Ketchum!".

Ash gulped at the sight of Dawn walking over to him, he knew she REALLY didn't like that hair-do. Putting up his hands feigning innocence, he quickly realised it was futile and received a beating from his angered girlfriend.

Everyone was laughing at the couple, even May. Regardless if she liked Ash or not, she had to admit they made a great pair.

Burgh chuckled slightly before returning his fallen Pokemon, and sighing slightly "Leavanny return, you did your best" he didn't expect her to be taken out in one hit by an electric attack. That Pikachu was more powerful than he looked.

Burgh approached and stook his hand out to Ash, who had escaped Dawn's wrath and took it. "Thanks for a fantastic battle Ash, and as proof of your victory I present you with this" he opened up a small case, inside resting on velvet cloth was a Badge. It was shaped like an insect's wing. "The Insect Badge, you've earned it!"

Ash grinned and took the Badge from the case and struck his victory pose "All right! I just got... the Insect Badge!". Pikachu completing the image by jumping in front of him and doing his peace sign.

"Such a little kid" Iris giggled as the rest of them approached, ready to congratulate Ash on his victory.

"That was an amazing battle Ash, you combined your own unique ingredients into your battle recipe and cooked yourself an amazing win. And I must say, witnessing Pikachu's power like that in battle was breathtaking and im glad you chose to leave him out of your battle against my brothers" Cilan spoke up, the first to congratulate his friend.

"You where great Ash! And watching Gabite do so much damage reminds me why I love dragon types so much!" Iris complimented after.

"It was really nice watching you battle again Ash, ive forgotten how much fun it is to watch you in your element" May smiled, catching eye contact with him. Ash could see something familiar within her cerulean eyes, but she broke contact and turned away blushing before he could see what it was.

"Congratulations on your second Badge! I knew you'd do it, I always do!" Dawn chirped bringing Ash into a hug now her hair rage had subsided, he returned the embrace and picked her up spinning her around playfully. She giggled when he set her down, before she quickly ran round and jumped on his back. He understood what she wanted and grabbed her legs holding her in place.

"Thanks guys, your support means a lot!" Ash thanked his friends.

They all then said their goodbyes to Burgh and made their way back towards the Pokemon Center for the night.

Dawn was enjoying her piggy back ride and snuggled closer to Ash, resting her head on the crook of his neck. He felt her breath on his skin and it sent shivers of pleasure down his spine.

May solemnly watched the two of them, seeing just how close they where, wondering just what she was going to do about her feelings...

Walking past a poster on the wall of a nearby building, Ash stopped and took a look at it. Dawn lifted her head to see why they had stopped and peered intently at what had caught Ash's attention.

The poster detailed information about an upcoming tournament called the Clubsplosion, run by a stout looking man called Don George, if the poster was anything to go on. It looked like a lot of fun and Ash was already getting excited about it. "Hey guys, check this out!" He called over his friends and they gathered around to see what all the fuss was about.

"Clubsplosion? Sounds like fun, think we should enter Axew?" Iris asked her partner.

"Ew Axew!" He nodded.

"We should all enter, it sounds like it'd be a great experience for everyone!" Ash said happily, he grinned when he saw everyone nod. "Alright, tomorrow we will all sign up, it's gonna be awesome!"

Dawn giggled from his back at his excitement, she loved seeing him like this.

"With that settled then, we should make our way back to the Pokemon Center, it's getting late and we will need to be fully rested for the tournament tomorrow" Cilan reminded them.

The group then continued their way back towards the center, looking forward to the upcoming Clubsplosion.

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

The cloaked man stood in an alley way as the group made their way past. He'd been tailing them on and off throughout the day and had learned the boy had managed to capture the Cresselia he saved. No matter, in the end everything would work out. Grinning he walked further into the city, and made his way towards the site where their reunion would take place on the following day.

He could hardly wait.

**Next - Chapter 10 : May's Crush, Dawn's Love and Old Enemies**

**Thank you all for reading my story, I appreciate every one of your views and the fact you've taken time out of your lives to read this.**

**It looks like ill be making this story an M and adding some Lemons, so you can expect to see those next chapter as well as the identity of the cloaked man, although im sure some of you have already guessed who it is.**

**Until next time ficcers! Peace out!**


	10. May's Crush, Dawn's Love and Old Enemies

**The first chapter with a lemon, the vote was pretty one-sided so this story is now an M with all the juicy details added for the love scene's.**

**I hope everyone is well, and I thank you once again for continuing to read this story. **

**Enough of that, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 10: May's Crush, Dawn's Love and Old Enemies**

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

It was 10 pm when they reached the Pokemon Center, and most of them where quite exhausted, it had been a long day and a lot had happened. May quickly booked herself a room and everyone retired for the night, she gave one last longing glance towards Ash before closing her door.

As soon as they got into their room Dawn brought Ash into a loving kiss, he returned it but was slightly surprised at her rather forward actions. They broke apart and gazed into each others eyes. Her sapphire eyes were clouded with lust, and she was biting her lower lip. "Ash..."

Before he could reply she pressed her lips against his again and stuck her tongue into his mouth, causing a match for dominance to occur between their lips. Again Ash was quite shocked, Dawn wasnt usually this _eager_. Feeling like an idiot but needing to ask anyhow, he pulled apart long enough to ask "Dawn, what's gotten into you?".

She looked him briefly in his deep auburn eyes before looking away blushing "I...I... need you".

He knew what she wanted, but wasnt expecting an offer like this so soon. They hadn't been together that long yet, not officially. "Are... you sure?" He finally asked.

She nodded "It's been too long, ive been thinking about this for a long time and it's something I want to do. All that tension that's built up between us over the last two years is driving me crazy". She moved her body close to his and placed her hands on his chest, her eye's sparkling with desire "Please?".

**Lemon Scene**

Ash needed no more encouraging, he'd been feeling the sexual tension between them for a long time aswell and it was demanding release. He surprised her by moving his hands, quickly down to and then under the hem of her skirt, grabbing her cheeks, whilst pulling her into a kiss.

Dawn's eyes widened momentarily but she quickly closed them and enjoyed the sensation, wrapping her arms around Ash's neck. He proceeded to lift her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved them towards the bed. Both of their hearts where beating rapidly, this was something new for them both.

He laid her down gently on the bed, before climbing on top of her. They where face to face for a few seconds before he gave her a chaste kiss then proceeded to kiss down her neck and hitting her sensitive area's. She let out a soft moan which inspired him further lavishing his attention on that part of her neck. She could feel herself giving in to desire and the area between her legs getting slick.

He suddenly stopped and looked at her face, she was confused and slightly disappointed that he'd taken his lips off of her neck. He blushed and motioned to her chest. She felt her cheeks rise in heat in sync with his but understood and quickly flipped him over so she was on top. She then slowly took off her pink scarf and her black shirt and white undershirt leaving just her bra and mini skirt covering her flesh.

She took a deep breath to steady her hands and reached around to unclasp her bra, unhooking it she let it fall off to reveal her soft breasts. They where still growing despite her age and she could only boast a B cup size, she felt her entire body heat up in embarrassment as Ash stared, transfixed at her chest. Did he like what he saw? Did he think they where too small?

"Your beautiful" he finally said, filling her with confidence and making her relax, letting the tension ease from her body. He then reached up and cupped both breasts in his hands and began to slowly massage them, enjoying the soft and squishy feeling. He gathered his wits and took a hardened nipple between his index finger and thumb before giving it a small squeeze and tugging gently.

She arched her back in pleasure, urging him to do more. She'd never felt like this before and it was giving her a serious high. Finally caving in to lust she spoke in a shaky voice "You can give them a l-lick if you'd like..."

"Oh" Ash whispered before sitting up so his face was level with her chest.

He leaned in a placed his mouth around her left nipple, engulfing it entirely and licking the nub with his tongue, sucking slightly.

"Ahhhh" she gasped out, grabbing his hair and holding his head in place, willing him to do more.

Ash took this as a sign that she liked what he was doing, and took her other breast in his right hand and began gently rubbing it in a circular motion, before swapping sides with his mouth and administering her left breast with his tongue.

Dawn threw her head back as the sensitive nerve endings were pleasured in ways she didn't think possible, it was driving her crazy and she felt herself getting even wetter, feeling a strong urge to put clamp her thighs together.

She was moaning from his ministrations and the sound of her was making him hard, he could feel his member becoming erect underneath her.

Releasing her grip on his hair, she started to unzip his hoodie with shaky fingers, wanting him to show some skin too. Ash helped her by slipping his arms through his sleeves and lifting off his light blue undershirt to reveal his toned chest.

Dawn smiled and ran her hands over his pec's and stomach, loving the feel of his skin against her fingers, he looked very manly and she couldn't stop herself from kissing his chest and up around his neck.

It was Ash's turn to gasp in pleasure as he felt Dawn's lips kiss around the crook of his neck and over his naked torso. Who would have thought being kissed around there would feel this good? He put his hands on Dawn's legs rubbing his hands up and down whilst she raked her tongue across his skin.

Standing up she slid of her mini skirt to reveal her soaked panties "Damn, those are ruined" she hooked her fingers at the sides, hesitated for just a second, then pulled them down and off. There she stood, naked for the first time in front of the only person she'd ever fallen in love with.

He felt himself throb down below when he saw her fully naked for the first _real_ time, trying to forget the stunt Zorua pulled in the shower, he grabbed Dawn by the hips and switched positions with her again, putting himself back on top. She blushed as he moved himself down her body, kissing along the way until he reached her private region.

He took a moment to notice it was fully shaved before cautiously flicking out his tongue and gently licking her wet lips. Dawn gasped, if having her nipples licked felt good, this was pure heaven, and she spread her legs wide to give him more room to work with. He looked up hearing her gasp and repeated the action this time earning himself a moan.

Pleased with the results he ventured further, slowly teasing the entrance with his tongue before plunging it in. He let it roam around inside her for the first time and took in her unique taste. It tasted sweet and kind of salty, he liked it and continued to use his tongue to lavish attention on her inner walls.

Dawn felt like she was going to explode, having him stick his tongue inside her was unbearably good. She pushed her hips closer to his face, urging him on, not wanting him to stop. His tongue showed no mercy, as he started diving it in and out of her virgin hole.

He noticed a small nub at the top of her lips and licked it curiously. Dawn moaned and bucked her back, nearly sending her numb with pleasure. He noticed the reaction and focused all his attention on the small node, whilst bringing a hand down to her entrance and inserting a finger.

It was becoming too much for Dawn to handle and she felt something building up within her stomach, and the more Ash did to her the more intense it felt. She couldnt describe or explain it, but it was coursing through her entire being, building with intensity until she couldn't handle it anymore. She exploded.

"Ash!" She screamed, pleasure racing through her as she clamped her legs around his head, feeling every muscle within her bunch up.

He felt her walls tighten around his tongue and her thighs tremble before he got a mouthful of her juices. It tasted sweeter than nectar and he lapped it up as it spilled from her body and moved his head up to look at her. She was breathing heavily and blushing like crazy.

After feeling the mind-blowing experience of her first orgasm, she decided to return the favour. Quickly moving her hands to his leggings, she pulled them off then proceeded to remove his boxers. As soon as it was free his erect member burst into the air and she took a good look at it. Seeing one on the internet was one thing, but seeing it in the flesh was another. Ash wasnt small either, she had to guess he was around 7 inches long.

Ash was feeling rather self-conscious, Dawn was just staring at his manhood. Was there something wrong with it?

She realised she was staring and making Ash uncomfortable, she rectified her mistake by placing her hand around the his shaft and starting to slowly pump.

Ash hissed, he felt himself tense up, no one had ever touched him there before. But the feeling of her soft hands around his manhood sent shivers up his back, the thought that it was Dawn doing this to him only heightened his sense of pleasure.

Encouraged by the low grunts and moans escaping his mouth, she gathered up her courage and brought the head to her lips, before engulfing it into her mouth. She didn't know what it tasted like, it was salty and kind of meaty but she found she didn't mind the taste. Still pumping with her hand she began to lick the head with her tongue in a swirling motion.

Ash's face tensed up and his eye's closed as he tried to control himself from the onslaught of her mouth. He let out a loud groan as she sped up increasing the intensity of the feeling and he could feel himself getting close. "Dawn... im gonna..".

She silenced him with a wave of her hand and increased her pace, surprised at this Ash grabbed her hair as he felt his climax approach fast.

"A-ah" The look on his face was one of pure satisfaction as he shot his load into her mouth. She did he best to take it all in, there was a lot of it and it was thick and salty, but she managed to swallow it all without gagging.

Lifting her head off his member, she licked the head clean of the last bits of cum that were leaking out before mounting on top of Ash and bringing him into a deep kiss. He felt it was kind of wierd that he was kissing her just after she had her mouth around his dick, but didn't stop. She pulled back and looked him in the eye's. He could see the hesitation there and knew what was coming next. "Dawn you don't have to do this you know, im fine with waiting until your ready".

She smiled lovingly at him, even in the heat of it, he was concerned about her. She loved him more than ever for it and shook her head "I'm ready, it's just my first time so it's just kind of scary, but im glad it's with you".

She hovered herself over his erect manhood and took hold of it, placing the tip at her entrance. Slowly lowering herself down she felt his head enter her, he hissed in pleasure at the feeling of even a small part of him being inside her, but she soon felt him at her barrier. Steeling herself for the pain that would follow, she quickly sat herself down and impaled herself on him, breaking her hymen and letting him fill her completely. She gasped in pain, and dug her nails into his chest, panting slightly.

"Dawn are you ok?" Ash looked worried, he didn't want to hurt her.

"I just need a moment" she managed to get out.

Feeling the pain fade, she began to slowly thrust her hips back and forth, feeling the pleasure return. After a few minutes of slowly gaining momentum she was enjoying the feeling of him inside her, and was eagerly bouncing up and down.

The feeling of being fully inside her was indescribable, she was so tight! Ash felt on cloud nine and didn't want to come down anytime soon, he quickly found her rhythm and helped her thrust himself in and out at a steady pace. After a while the pleasure started to build within them both and he grabbed hold of her breasts, squeezing them both adding to the sensation.

Dawn sped up, feeling that pressure building in her stomach again, she knew she was close and from the look on Ash's face he was too. She was starting to moan quite loudly now and her body was craving release.

Ash looked at her worried, he knew what would happen if he let himself go inside her. She noticed and quickly reassured him "Dont... worry... im on the pill" she panted out.

A look of relief passed over his face and he sped up his pumping until Dawn couldn't handle it anymore and exploded for the second time that night, the electrifying sensation tingling through her nervous system as she tensed up in ecstasy. The feeling of her walls tightening around him sent him over the edge, and Ash shot his seed into her womb. The feeling of him filling her with his seed only added to the pleasure and Dawn fell forward onto him panting and sweaty.

After a couple of minutes lying there catching their breaths, she lifted herself off him and watched as a stream of her juices and his seed spilled out and onto the bed sheets. She collapsed next to him on the bed and brought him into a close hug. "That was... amazing" she croaked out, voice hoarse. She rested her head on his chest and looked up at him, sapphire eye's sparkling with emotion "I love you".

"Yeah... it truly was" He looked back down at her, leaning in to give her a quick kiss "I love you too".

They both had content smiles on their faces and it wasnt long before they succumbed to sleep, happy in each other's arms.

**Lemon end (Sorry it was so long! But it was their first time and I wanted it to be special)**

**Unova Region - Castelia City, the next morning**

Iris was the first to awaken from her slumber, she rubbed her eyes and got herself ready. Quite pumped up for the days events and the Clubsplosion that would take place later, waking Axew she giggled as he yawned and stretched his little arms "Axew".

"Come on Axew, let's go get everyone up! We have a big day ahead of us!" Her partner nodded and jumped up into her hair and they made their way down the hall. After rousing a groggy Cilan and May from their warm comfy beds, which neither of them were thrilled about, she made her way to the room shared by Ash and Dawn. "Time to get our lover's out of bed" she giggled to her partner and he laughed back.

She knocked once before opening their door and walking in "Rise and shine love birds it's time to ge-" she stopped herself as at the scene in front of her. Ash and Dawn where laying together in a close embrace on top of the bed, both fast asleep, both completely _naked_. She quickly exited the room blushing furiously, a startled look across her features. When she mentioned them being lover's she hadn't meant it literally!

Cilan turned to her with a raised eyebrow "What's wrong Iris?".

She turned to her friend trying to force down her blushing cheeks and forced a smile "Nothing! They are still asleep and I.. uhh.. didn't want to wake them!" She didn't give him time to respond to her strange behaviour "Come on let's get some breakfast!" He was practically forced out the hall and into the dining area.

"Uh ok?" He didn't even try to protest, Iris could be pretty persistent if she wanted to be.

They arrived at a table with their breakfasts in hand to find May already sat down eating "Are Ash and Dawn not up yet?" She asked innocently.

Iris did her best to keep a straight face "They're still sleeping. You know what they are like! It's hard trying to wake them up... Dawn's as bad as Ash" she laughed nervously, earning a suspicious glance from her friends.

May knew something was up, what had gone off between the three of them to be causing the normally confident and blunt Iris to be all shy and cautious?

Back in their bedroom Ash slowly opened his eye's. He'd never felt so good waking up, last night was one of the best in his life and he lowered his gaze down to the beautiful sleeping form of Dawn, all in her naked glory. He didn't think he could love her anymore than he did, or their bond could be any stronger than it was, yet in both cases his feelings for the bluenette had strengthened. They had connected on a level very few others could ever attain.

Slowly lifting her head off of his chest and her arm from around his waist, he got out of bed and headed into the shower. After washing up he came out and got dressed and noticed Dawn was still sleeping peacefully, deciding best not to wake her he gave her a kiss on the forehead and headed off to breakfast.

He was practically skipping as he entered the dining area, smiling to all his friends he proceeded to stack his plate high with his usual favorite of pancakes with syrup and took a seat at the table.

"You're in a good mood today" Cilan observed about his unusually happy friend. Ash was normally a positive and happy person but today he looked like he'd won the Master League.

"Yeah I feel great, and im really looking forward to Clubsplosion later!" He pumped his fist into the air then started digging in to his pancakes.

"Woah slow down Ash, what did you do last night to work up such an appetite?" Cilan asked watching his friend eat at almost double his usual pace, which for Ash was something special to behold.

Iris nearly choked on her fruit at Cilan's unfortunate choice of words, and she coughed out the chunk of apple in her throat. "You ok Iris?"

"I'm fine, it just went down the wrong hole" in her head that also sounded wrong, and she couldn't help but think of everything said as a dirty innuendo since walking in on them this morning.

May was watching her very intently, determined to uncover what exactly she'd done or seen.

Ash didn't seem to notice, just shrugged and dug back into his pancakes with gusto.

Dawn awoke, feeling for Ash only to find his side of the bed was empty. She opened her eyes and saw indeed he was gone, noticing his clothes gone too she assumed he went to get breakfast and chose not to wake her. Smiling she stretched, feeling content, satisfied and extremely happy. She would remember last night for the rest of her life, her first time was with the greatest guy in the world and she couldnt of asked for anything better.

Hopping into the shower she happily hummed as she washed herself down, she was kind of sore downstairs from losing her virginity but it was nothing major. She got out the shower and got dressed in her usual attire, throwing away her panties from last night that would be forever ruined, and then proceeded to happily do her hair. Satisfied she went to join her friends and her new lover at the breakfast table.

Grabbing some oran berry pancakes she took a seat next to Ash, a big grin on her face. "Good morning guys!" She sang as she took her seat.

"Morning Dawn! What's gotten into you? Your practically glowing!" Cilan asked as she joined them.

Iris was blushing like crazy, Cilan was going to kill her with his word choices! Why wouldn't he shut up!

"I've not felt this great in a long time! Thanks for the compliment!" she chirped before happily digging into her breakfast.

May was about to speak up and ask what exactly was making the couple feel so good, when Nurse Joy came through from the front desk. "Excuse me Ash Ketchum? You have a phone call waiting for you, ive put it through to your room".

Ash nodded his thanks "Wonder who that could be?" Quickly giving Dawn a kiss on the cheek he made his way back to their room and pushed the button on the video phone to activate the call.

A picture of his mom took up the screen and she smiled at him "Good morning honey! I'm calling to wish you happy birthday! I can't believe my little boy is 17 years old!".

Stunned he remembered it was indeed his birthday, with everything that had been going off in the last few days, it had completely slipped his mind. "Thanks mom, to be honest, I'd forgotten myself..." he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"How could you forget your birthday, honestly honey sometimes you worry me. Anyhow I sent you a present and it should be arriving at the Pokemon Center soon, I hope you like it!" She smiled at her son "So tell me how are you enjoying yourself in Unova? Had anything special happen whilst you've been there?".

"You could say that" he deadpanned. His mother gave him a curious look and he began to explain everything that had transpired since they parted ways. From his meeting with Snivy and Iris to saving Cresselia. He received his usual scolding for being reckless more than once.

He came to the end of his story when Dawn came through the door "Ash? I came to check on you since uve been gone a while" she walked up to him and saw he was talking to an older woman, presumably his mother.

Delia looked at her son for an introduction and he took his que "Mom this is Dawn, the girl I told you about, the one I travelled through Sinnoh with. Dawn this is my mom Delia Ketchum".

Dawn suddenly felt nervous being viewed by her lover's mother, she hoped she would make a good first impression. "Hi its nice to meet you Mrs. Ketchum".

Delia smiled warmly at her, remembering how her son had talked about this girl when he was last at home, she looked like a nice person. "It's nice to finally meet you too Dawn, Ash has told me so much about you, in fact he didn't stop talking about you" she giggled and they both blushed.

"Well you see mom... Dawn and I ... we're kinda... together ". He saw no use in hiding it, his mom probably knew anyhow, she could be quite perceptive when she wanted to be. He just hoped he wasnt going to get scolded.

"Oh im so happy for you both! It's nice to see Ash has got himself a wonderful girlfriend, you know before you came along Dawn I was starting to get worried" she giggled again at their reactions. Ash was squirming in embarrassment and Dawn blushed at the compliment, clearly not expecting it.

"Mom!" He should of known she'd embarrass him, it seemed to be a regular thing between the two of them.

"Thank you Mrs. Ketchum. So what where you two talking about that managed to keep him away from the food area" Dawn giggled, taking a seat next to Ash. She was glad Ash's mom liked her, although neither of them thought it would be a good idea to let her know about last night's activity's...

"Please dear, call me Delia. I was just calling to tell Ash happy birthday! He explained to me that with everything going off he'd forgotten though" she explained.

Dawn realised she'd forgotten too, and felt rather bad about it. Ash could see the worry on her face and quickly reassured her by taking her hand "It's fine, I dont blame you for forgetting either, a lot has happened in the last few days".

Forgetting they where on view, they lost themselves in the others eye's. Sapphire and auburn performing their usual dance of emotion. Delia smiled, she was truly happy for the two of them. They where obviously very close and the love was evident on their faces. She cleared her throat and their attention snapped back to the screen, both of them turning red. She giggled "Alright, well im glad you're having fun sweetie, and I hope you like your present. Dawn its so nice to finally talk to you and im sure we will meet when you get back. Have fun you two!"

With that the screen went black as Delia ended the call. She didn't mention it but she noticed the subtle changes in them, the glint in their eyes, the glow of their skin... She recognised it, because she saw it in herself the first time she'd been with Ash's father. "He truly is growing up..." she lamented.

"Well that was my mom" Ash smiled weakly at his lover.

"She's nice, and she seems to approve of us, that's the important thing. I'm so sorry I forgot your birthday, what kind of girlfriend am I?" she finished sadly.

Ash waved her off "No need to worry" giving her the most charming smile he could "Let's go see what my mom got me, shall we?" he offered her his hand as he stood.

Speaking of gifts, Dawn remembered she still had one to give him, the Pikachu necklace she'd bought on the boat! Arceus she forgot that too. Mentally slapping herself she quickly shook her head "I have a gift to prepare for you myself! You go on ahead ill meet you soon!".

He looked surprised but nodded happily and took off to go retrieve his package. As soon as he left the door, Dawn rushed over to her bag and dug out the matching necklaces. She fastened the Piplup one around her own neck, admiring how good it looked. Hiding the Pikachu one in the palm of her hand, she went to find Ash.

He was currently wrestling with a medium-sized box, wrapped up tightly. His tongue was stuck out and his eyes narrowed in concentration trying to open it, Dawn burst out in a fit of giggles, Arceus he could be cute at times.

Pikachu was sat next to him on the desk counter, he facepalmed at his friend and proceeded to charge up an Iron Tail, before precisely striking the gift and slicing off the wrapper. Ash looked shocked briefly, but then nodded his thanks. Quickly opening the remaining box he took out the object he'd received.

"Wow she actually got me one!" He held up his new Cross-transceiver for the world to see. "I've been meaning to grab one myself but they are quite expensive, ill have to seriously thank my mom next time I talk to her" strapping it on his wrist he wore a satisfied smile.

Dawn walked up next to him "That's not the only gift you're getting, close your eyes". He looked at her slightly confused but did as commanded. "Hold out your hands and open them up". As he did what she asked she carefully placed the necklace into his open palm. "Now look".

Opening his eyes he stared at what she'd got him, it was a silver Pikachu pendant on a silver linked chain. "I love it Dawn! Thank you so much!" He grinned and brought her into a hug, she squealed happily, glad that he liked it. "Would you do the honors?" .

She nodded gladly and took it from his hand and fastened it around his neck, Pikachu came to inspect it then gave her a thumbs up, his own seal of approval. "Pika pi!".

Giggling Dawn thanked the small mouse Pokemon "I'm glad you like it too Pikachu".

Cilan and Iris came through from the cafeteria , to see Ash showing off his new equipment. "Wow Ash you have a Cross-transceiver?! When did you get that?" Iris exclaimed running over to take a good look at it.

"Well you see I actually turned 17 today, I'd completely forgotten and it wasnt until I got a phone call from my mom that she reminded me, this is actually her gift that she sent over in advance" he told his friends.

"Let me congratulate you on your special day, ill cook you up a special birthday meal later to celebrate!" Cilan offered shaking Ash's hand.

"Thanks Cilan, I appreciate that".

"Happy birthday Ash! I can't believe your 17! It seems like yesterday you where showing me the ropes around Hoenn" May giggled, giving him a hug.

"Oh Ash how could you forget your own birthday, your such a little kid" Iris mocked "Ill get you something later, since you forgot to mention it earlier" she facepalmed.

"Well it's not like I saved the lives of two Pokemon, one of them being a Legendary and reunited with the love of my life" he retorted back.

"Alright you two, calm down we have to go register for the Clubsplosion" Dawn reminded them.

"Oh right! Lets get moving!" Ash immediately starting moving towards the Center doors, his mind now tunnel visioning on the up coming tournament.

Everyone sweatdropped and quickly moved to catch up with him, Pikachu jumped up onto his favorite perch whilst Dawn slipped her hand in his own.

The group made their way through the streets of Castelia, the Clubsplosion was being held at the far side of the city this year and they had to traverse the urban jungle to reach it. The air was warm and the sun was already high in the sky.

Walking passed several shops, one finally caught Dawn's eye and she abruptly pulled Ash over with her "Uh Dawn? We don't have time to shop, we have to go register!".

She looked at him and pointed to a particular outfit she'd seen "We have all morning to register, and I think that outfit would look great on me! Come on, I have to go try it on!".

"But..." he didn't get further, being practically dragged by his girlfriend into the store, everyone else sweatdropped and followed them in to see what the fuss was about.

Once inside, Dawn quickly picked out the outfit she wanted and rushed into the changing rooms to try it on. Ash was sat outside her booth waiting impatiently for her to get ready. He'd much rather be lining up to enter the tournament...

May, Iris and Cilan where browsing through the store, checking out the various new Unovan fashion trends. The girls where enjoying it far more than Cilan was and he hoped they wouldn't be here for too long, he had many interests but clothes where not one of them.

Dawn finally emerged from the changing room and did a full turn for Ash so he could get a full view of her, "So what do you think?".

He stared at her, she looked stunning! She was wearing an open black jacket with a white shirt, covering the top of her legs was now a pair of short denim shorts with torn white fabric jutting out. She had put her hair into a ponytail and kept it in place with a cap, but still had her face framed by two strands of hair kept in place with her clips. (The outfit in this story's picture)

She just saw him staring "Well im taking the silence and the ogling as a sign you like it" she giggled as he blushed.

Going back into the changing room and putting on her usual get up, she took the new clothes and payed for them, happy that she had a new outfit to wear.

Managing to drag the girls out of the clothing store, the group made their way towards the Clubsplosion arena. Ash noticed the curious glances May kept shooting his way, and vowed to bring it up with her sometime soon.

An hour later they made it to the tournament grounds, and it was packed! Ash's excitement was kicking into overdrive and he rushed off to sign up, quickly followed by his friends. They got in line with him a minute later "So Ash, what Pokemon are you going to be signing up? You can only use one and the majority of people will be using a fighting type, the Clubsplosion is famous for fighting type duels" Cilan inquired.

He gave it some thought, he didn't have a fighting type yet so that was out of the question. He could use Gabite, since he could use some fighting type moves and was powerful enough to pack a serious punch. He could also use Snivy, she was small but very strong, plus she hadn't had a chance to fight in the recent Gym Battle. Then there was Cresselia and Pikachu, but he felt they both might be a tad overkill. "I dunno" he shrugged "I'll make my decision when I sign up".

"I'm going to be using Blaziken! He would do really well here, and he's part fighting type so it s a perfect match!" May declared.

"Well... id use my Excadrill if he'd listen to me but I can't rely on that, so Axew do you feel up to the challenge?" Iris asked the small dragon type in her hair. "Axew!" He pumped his small arms up to show his muscles. Getting a giggle out of Iris.

"I think im going to use Mamoswine, a powerhouse like him will really enjoy a battle experience like this" Dawn added.

As the group continued to discuss battle plans and strategies whilst moving down the line, Ash felt a familiar sensation of dread building in the back of his head. He felt a strange familiarity with it. Looking around, he tried to find anything amiss. A caped man, hood up and completely obscured from view walked passed the line, he'd just signed up by the looks of it but it wasnt that which caught Ash's attention. It was the strand of hair he'd seen sticking out from under his hood and the quick flash of cold hard blue eyes. '_It couldn't be HIM? Could it?'_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts, noticing the man had vanished from view. Did he imagine it? The sense of dread had gone with him, but Ash didn't have time to ponder it as they had reached the front of the line.

He turned to the clerk behind the registration desk "Hi, Id like to sign up please!".

She nodded and handed him a sheet "Please fill this in, sign your name and the Pokemon your using".

He quickly filled out his personal information, then considered which Pokemon he'd be using. The event with the cloaked man in the line had shaken him up more than he cared to admit. If it was indeed him and he was in fact competing in this tournament then only one choice would be viable, since Ash knew which Pokemon _he_ would be using. However it was a risk, and it went against his ideals as a Pokemon Trainer. But he couldn't take the chance to allow _him_ to use that same tactic again. Realising he was holding up the line and the clerk was waiting for him to make his mind up he quickly entered Cresselia and handed her back the form, then did his customary Pokedex scan and registered her Pokeball.

He prayed to Arceus he wasnt making a huge mistake here, but couldn't help but feel this was the right thing to do.

The rest of them registered up and Dawn quickly caught up to him "Hey, you alright? You've been quite since the que".

He quickly smiled at her "I'm fine, I was just thinking which Pokemon id be using".

She could tell through the intense bond they shared he wasnt being totally honest with her, but figured he had his reasons "So which did Pokemon did you end up entering?".

He grinned and held up a particular Pokeball. Her eye's widened "You entered with her?" He nodded and she grinned too, she was really anxious to see Cresselia in action and she was going to in a tournament! She briefly wondered what caused Ash to enter with a Legendary but shrugged it off in the face of actually seeing him compete with one.

"The event doesn't start for another few hours, how about we all take a nice break in the nearby country side and get in some last-minute practice?" Cilan offered joining them with May and Iris close behind.

"That sounds great! And ive got to get _her_ ready for this anyhow" he laughed when he saw the excitement on Cilan and Iris' faces. May gave him another curious look, dammit she really wanted to know who this 'she' was!

They moved out the city and found a nice clearing next to a small secluded lake. "Alright everyone come on out!" Ash yelled grabbing three Pokeballs and launching them skyward, they snapped open and spilled out their contents. In front of the group appeared Gabite, Snivy and _Cresselia_.

May's jaw hit the floor and she gaped at the Legendary. She turned her stunned face towards Ash "You...have a-a.. C-Cresselia?".

"You might want to close your mouth a tad May, I can see your tonsils" Ash laughed.

It finally sunk in that he did in fact have a Cresselia and she squealed in joy, running up to the Lunar Pokemon and admiring it. She had three pink lunar shaped wings coming off her main body, and her feathers where mostly blue and yellow, she had two small hands on her front and her small face was framed with two crescent moon shaped protrusions that formed a collar of sorts and joined at the top. A gem like mound sat on top of her head and she was leaving a trail of glittering particles in her wake. "She's so... beautiful" May finally got out.

Cresselia cooed in thanks, before she floated over to Ash and nuzzled his face affectionately. He laughed and stroked her head before she flew over to the other Pokemon leaving a shiny trail of star-dust behind her. Ash's other Pokemon instantly warmed to the Legendary and started to chat with her.

"Well I think everyone should come out and say hello to our new team member, come say hi guys!" Dawn launched five Pokeballs into the air and they snapped open, spilling white light out and taking the forms of Mamoswine, Togekiss, Pachirisu, Quilava and Buneary. All but the latter instantly made their way over to Cresselia in awe and respect to introduce themselves, Piplup wriggled out of her arms and followed his team mates, anxious to meet Cresselia himself, whilst the small bunny went over to lavish her undivided attention on Pikachu, completely oblivious to the Legendary in front of her.

Of course this didn't sit well with Snivy and she quickly used her vines to pry her off. Buneary stomped over to the small grass snake and they glared at each other clashing heads. Pikachu was about to intervene when Cresselia floated over and told them off for their behaviour. Being scolded by a Legendary stung, and they quickly parted and apologised before running off. Pikachu sighed in relief.

After watching that curious display May decided to introduce her Pokemon to the group "Come on out gang" She threw six Pokeballs into the air and they snapped open. Before the group materialized Blaziken, Beautifly, Wartortle, Munchlax, Glaceon and Venusaur. Cilan and Iris gaped at the powerful display of the new comers.

"Aaaah! So many wonderful flavour's from Hoenn and Kanto!" Cilan rushed over to the Pokemon and began inspecting each in turn, getting more and more excited with each he passed. May's Pokemon sweatdropped at him, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"Oh Cilan, your such a kid" Iris shook her head and dragged him away.

"But the new Pokemon..." he pouted slightly as he was dragged off.

Pikachu made his way over to May's partners and reintroduced himself, they where all happy to see him again. He then brought them over to the rest of the group and everyone said their hello's. Cresselia getting the majority of the attention from the new arrivals, each of them amazed that a Legendary was part of their little group and the fact they got to talk to her as one of their own.

After being released from Iris' death grip, Cilan finished letting out the Pokemon by sending out his Pansage who quickly scurried over to the group, who welcomed him.

Ash turned his cap backwards, putting his game face on "Alright time for some serious training, Cresselia let's go!" He called over to his Legendary and she floated over to his side, much to the disappointment of the other Pokemon and he ran off to a clearing to practice with her moves. Pikachu following close behind, he wouldnt miss out on watching her train!

"You too Mamoswine, can't let Ash get in front of us can we?" Dawn giggled and her giant Twin Tusk Pokemon bounded over before she too found a secluded spot to train.

"Blaziken, come on we need to get you in tip-top shape for the tournament!" May called running over to a free space by the lake to practice with her starter.

"Alright Axew lets show them what we are made of!" Iris pumped her hand into the air and found a small space next to a tree to train with her small dragon type.

"Pansage lets add some ingredients to our battle recipe so we are fully prepared to face any opponent" Cilan called to his favorite Pokemon and they both took found another clearing nearby to work on their battle plan.

The rest of the Pokemon, figuring they wouldn't be needed began to relax or play around with each other whilst their Trainer's where busy.

After an hour of intense training the five friends plus their Pokemon sat down as Cilan prepared a quick, high energy meal to fuel them all up for the tournament.

Ash decided to find out why May had been acting a little weird around him and asked to talk with her in private after they had finished eating. She briefly glanced at Dawn who was scowling at her as if to say "You better not try anything" she nodded and followed Ash until they where out of earshot.

"Alright May, what's up, you keep giving me these wierd glances and im worried about you, is something wrong? Can I help?".

May laughed slightly, typical Ash thinking that something was up with her and wanting to jump in and be the hero as usual "It's not that kind of problem Ash, but thank you" she smiled sweetly at him. "You see the problem is I... w-well, I kinda... L-l...".

"May, it's fine whatever you have to say ill be here for you. You know me, if you feel like you can't say it, don't feel pressured, ill be here whenever you are ready" He gave her his famous smile and her heart quivered. She tried not to melt.

Shaking her head she continued "No I need to tell you, its tearing me up inside and I need to let you know. You see Ash... I ... L-like you. More than a friend" she quickly added not wanting him to have a dense moment on her.

Ash sat there dumbstruck, May liked him? He always thought she was into Drew, not that he minded that much back in his Hoenn days because he was super focused on his training and Pokemon to give any thoughts into love. But since being with Dawn he's opened himself up to that new world and he didn't know how to respond to May's confession. He loved Dawn but he didn't want to hurt May either. He didn't know what to say to her.

She could see the emotions flickering in his eyes and sighed "You don't have to give me an answer yet, I just had to let you know" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked back over to the group.

Ash dumbly followed shortly after trying to process what had just happened to him.

When they got back they quickly finished their meals and returned everyone back into their Pokeballs, before heading off to the Clubsplosion for the first rounds. Dawn had given them both some curious glances and Ash knew he'd have to tell her about it later, he just hoped she wouldn't overreact.

They got there just as the first matches where being announced and everyone's pictures where mixed in with hundreds of others and shuffled into the first round pair-offs. As the screen on the side of the stadium settled, everyone quickly looked for who they would be fighting off against. Ash found his portrait and saw he was against some trainer he'd never met before, but he was psyched up for this and wouldn't underestimate anyone.

May found she was up against a girl from the Johto Region, and wondered which Pokemon she'd be using.

Cilan and Iris where similarly paired with nondescript trainers from the Hoenn and Unova Regions respectively, it seemed this event had brought in people from all over the world, and everyone was excited to see and battle against all the different kinds of Pokemon.

Dawn finally found her picture near the top and saw she was against someone who was completely covered with a cape. She had no idea who this mystery person was, the only information was that he was from the Sinnoh Region. Ash had noticed it too, and the feeling of dread he'd felt earlier came back full force. He didn't like this, and the fact that this man was up against Dawn in the first round only made it worse, he had a strong urge to keep her away from the tournament and stand guard around her to keep her safe. His train of thought was disrupted by not one, but two very familiar hyperactive voices. "Coming through!"

"Out of the way! Out of the way!"

Everyone instinctively jumped back a few steps and sure enough Barry and Bianca came running in at full speed, before comically colliding with each other in front of the group.

Barry jumped back up immediately and shook his fist at the other blonde "You need to watch where your running, im going to fine you!".

"You're the one who ran into me, you should really look where you're going!" Bianca retorted.

The stare down then began and everyone sweatdropped. Barry finally noticed Ash and immediately broke eye contact with Bianca, "Hey Ash! Your here for the Clubsplosion too huh? Dont expect to win, cause first place is all mine!"

"Hey Barry, its great to see you've entered too, you aswell Bianca" Ash nodded in the direction of the female blonde.

"Thanks Ash, it's so great to see everyone here!" She quickly bowed to all her friends, although stopped at May and asked who she was.

"Ah Barry, Bianca, I'd like you to meet May Maple, she's an old friend of mine from the Hoenn Region" Ash introduced them and they all said their hello's. Further conversation was interrupted by the intercom announcing it was time for the first round to start soon, and Dawn was up in the first batch against the mystery trainer.

The group hurried through before Dawn split off to the trainer's room, after a good luck kiss and a worried glance from her lover. She noticed his eye's on her, but couldn't think on it, she had to be prepared for the battle at hand.

Ash, Iris, Cilan, May, Barry and Bianca all took up seats in the arena Dawn would be competing in, ready to watch one of the many first round matches that were going off simultaneously. With so many participants it was required to have multiple matches going off at once in the initial rounds, much like in the League. Everyone got seated and comfy as the screen lit up with the face of the announcer for the match, and his voice could be heard loud and clear over the speakers. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to this first round match of the Clubsplosion tournament!"

A round of applause echoed from the stadium seats, and Ash felt his anxiety grow, he took hold of the metal bar in front of him tightly, earning a few curious glances from his friends. Pikachu was feeling it too and he lowered his ears in preparation for _something_. "Pika...".

"I know buddy, I feel it too" Ash whispered to his long time friend.

"On one side we have a lovely young lady all the way from the Sinnoh Region, please give a round of applause for Dawn Berlitz!" The announcer yelled and everyone gave out cheers and a few eager males gave a wolf whistle as Dawn made her entrance, causing Ash to grind his teeth in jealousy. Dawn noticed and quickly blew him a kiss, which he caught, earning an "Aww" from Bianca and Iris, and a sigh from May.

"And on the other we have a mystery trainer who also hails from the Sinnoh Region, entering with no name, give it up for her opponent!" He called out next, everyone watched with curious glances as the man in question entered from his side completely covered with his cloak, his hood up, obscuring his face. Ash took a long look at him and was trying to figure out why he felt so familiar.

A referee took up his position in the middle of the field "Alright trainers, this will be a one on one battle with no time limit, the battle will be over when one side's Pokemon is no longer able to battle, is that clear?" He received a nod of acknowledgement from both of them "Then please send out your first Pokemon".

Dawn grabbed her Pokeball and threw it on the battlefield "Mamoswine! Spotlight!" The ball snapped open to release her giant Twin Tusk Pokemon and he roared at her mystery opponent. "Mamooooo".

The man looked amused at the Pokemon's attempt to unsettle him, and he shook his head under his hood. Pathetic.

Dawn looked at him, slightly annoyed "You have no right to judge anyone whilst hiding under a cloak, why don't you show your face?" she challenged him.

He sighed and finally spoke up "I guess it's no longer nessacery, is it?" He lifted his head up so the sun caught his mouth and she could see his teeth shine out from the darkness.

The voice that came from the man sent shiver's down Ash's spine, his suspicions where correct! But what he couldn't fathom was why he was here, he should still be in Sinnoh...

His hands involuntarily increased their grip on the bar, turning his knuckles white with the strain. He was vaguely aware that his eye's where narrowed and he was clenching his teeth. The sense of dread he'd been feeling throughout the last few hours reaching its climax.

"What's wrong Ash?" May asked him concerned "Who is it?".

Before he could respond the cloaked man spoke up again "Very well, if you really want to see my face you had only to ask" grabbing the edge of the cloak he tore it off. Dawn and Barry let out a gasp of surprise and everyone else looked on in confusion. The man was quite tall and well-built, he wore a creme-grey suit under a red shawl adorned on his shoulders. His long, dull, blue wavey hair covering one side of his face and trailing down his back. Blue eyes intense and cold.

"_Tobias_" Ash finally answered her.

**Next - Chapter 11: Clubsplosion's Unintended Revelations.**

**Dun dun dun, so the mystery man now serving Ghetsis is Tobias, a cookie to anyone who correctly guessed it, hope you all liked the Lemon scene, it's the first one ive written so I hope it turned out ok.**

**Thanks to everyone who's favoriting and following my story!**

**Until next time. Peace out.**


	11. Clubsplosion's Unexpected Revelation's

**I hope everyone is liking the story so far, again thank you to everyone reviewing, favoriting and following!**

**Special thanks goes out to Uranium235 for reviewing a lot of my chapters, and giving me great feedback!**

**So, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 11 : Clubsplosion's Unexpected Revelation's.**

"_Tobias_" Ash almost spat the word.

"Who's Tobias?" Questioned the brunette, she'd never seen nor heard of him before and wondered why Ash disliked him so.

"He's a Trainer from Sinnoh, who cruised through the League using only his Darkrai, only Ash managed to beat it but was knocked out by his Latios. Everyone was really miffed about the whole thing, against a Legendary Trainer it's not even fair!" Barry answered for her, he too was grinding his teeth.

May looked at the wavey haired man with wide eye's '_A Legendary Trainer? Those are almost unheard of! How did he get at least two Legendary Pokemon to allow him to capture them and listen to his commands?'_ she wondered. It certainly was a feat in of itself, Pokemon like that rarely like to be under the command of a human. "Wow, he sounds tough".

"And he's up against Dawn in the first round" gripping the bar so hard he was starting to dent it slightly, Ash's eyes took on a blue hue of Aura as he glared down his old Sinnoh League rival. He didn't know what Tobias was doing here, but he intended to find out.

"I hope she's going to be ok, if he's as tough as you say then I fear for her chances, aswell as the health of Mamoswine" Cilan gave the bluenette and her Pokemon a quick, worried glance.

Down on the battlefield Tobias smirked at the reactions. He'd been expecting as much, and he knew they where all thinking the same thing. Why was he there? Well wouldn't they like to know... "I guess it's time to send out my first Pokemon" he quipped nonchalantly. "Let's go Darkrai!" He threw his Pokeball, sending it spinning towards the field before it snapped open to reveal the Pokemon responsible for nearly white washing the Sinnoh League.

Mamoswine tensed up seeing his opponent, he didn't like this, he was prepared for most things but going up against a Legendary was no easy task.

Dawn sensed her Pokemon's uncertainty and reassured him "No need to worry Mamoswine, he rely's on his Pokemon's power rather than his own skill, if we work together we can win this!"

Seeing the steely determination in his Trainer's eye's, he nodded and focused back on Darkrai waiting for the match to start.

On the screen above them, which displayed a portrait of both Tobias and Dawn, a little picture of Mamoswine and Darkrai appeared next to each respectively, before the referee raised both his flags "The first round match between Darkrai and Mamoswine will now commence! Let the battle begin!" Throwing his arms down he started the match.

"Mamoswine use Ice Armor!" Dawn commanded immediately, knowing that every second counted against such a strong opponent.

Tobias raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what this move was, he certainly hadn't heard of it.

"Mamooooo" Mamoswine created his usual Ice Shard attack before _swallowing_ it and absorbing it into his body. Moments later jagged spikes of ice jutted out of the fur on his back creating a spiky barrier.

"Now Mamoswine, use Take Down!" Dawn commanded as soon as Ice Armor was finished.

Mamoswine began charging as fast as he could straight towards the hovering form of Darkrai, intent on smashing into the Legendary and plastering him to the wall of the arena.

Tobias smirked at the charging behemoth, not phased in the slightest "Darkrai use Dark Void" he stated calmly.

Darkrai grunted in acknowledgement and summoned forth a midnight black sphere limned with a purple glow, before launching it at the charging Twin Tusk Pokemon. It connected, enveloping Mamoswine within its darkness, causing his charge to falter and his legs to buckle under him as he slid across the floor, fast asleep.

"Mamoswine! You have to wake up!" Dawn tried to get through to her Pokemon, but it was no use, he was deep asleep and didn't look like he would be waking up anytime soon.

"Now Darkrai, use Dream Eater" Tobias' next command left Dawn with shivers, she couldn't do anything to block or stop the attack from landing since Mamoswine was at Darkrai's mercy, being fast asleep.

Darkrai's eye's flashed red, before an apparition of himself split off and sped towards the sleeping form of Mamoswine. It went straight through him, causing his eyes to snap open unfocused, his most terrible nightmares feeling like reality. It also did considerable damage to him, he wasn't out but he was barely standing already. Unfortunately for Dawn, even though he had his eyes open, he was still sleeping.

"This looks bad for Dawn, even with Mamoswine awake it would be a close fight at best, but with him asleep it's a recipe without any ingredients to work with" Cilan stated sadly.

Ash did his best to stay calm "Come on Dawn! You can do this!".

She heard her lover's encouraging words and tried to draw from them like she had done in all her times of need. "Come on Mamoswine! I know you can do this, I believe in you and so do all your friends!" She pleaded hoping to get through to him.

Hearing the plea in Dawn's voice his eye's focused, now fully awake and more than a little angry "Mamoooooooooooooooo!" He roared his frustration.

"Way to go Mamoswine! Now use AncientPower!"

He focused his energy into chunks of rock, which formed and began floating around his body, before imbuing them with power and sending them hurtling towards the Legendary dark type.

"Darkrai use Dark Pulse" Tobias issued in his infuriating, calm voice.

Darkrai grunted, pulling back his arms before bringing them forward and shooting forth a chain of dark purple energy beams, smashing into the rocks and obliterating them with ease. The attack continued to channel towards Mamoswine, connecting with the Twin Tusk Pokemon and a huge explosion issued forth, sending a dust cloud flying high into the air.

Dawn anxiously waited to see the results, trying to peer through the cloud, whilst Tobias and Darkrai stood there calm as ever.

When it finally cleared enough to see, Mamoswine was laid out, swirls for eyes and covered in bruises. "Mamoswine is unable to able, this first round match goes to Tobias!" The referee declared from the side.

Up on the monitor Dawn's picture was dropped down off-screen and was replaced by a large image of Tobias in his cloak, the word 'Winner' in big letters above his portrait.

"As to be expected, you'll need more than that pathetic Mamoswine to beat my Darkrai" he snorted as he returned his Pokemon, smirking at Dawn as she ran over to her fallen partner.

Shooting the man a glare that could melt ice, Dawn hurried over to her fallen Pokemon. "Mamoswine, are you ok?" She asked worriedly, that last attack had connected full force into his face and it would have seriously hurt.

"Mam...oo" he groaned out weakly.

"There, there. You did a great job and im proud of you" she patted his fur slightly, "Now return and take a nice long rest" she lifted up his Pokeball and returned him in a beam of red energy. He smiled appreciatively at her before disappearing inside.

Dawn turned around fuming, about to give Tobias a piece of her mind when she saw he'd already left. Clearly he couldn't care less about any other Pokemon than his own... and even then she had serious doubts.

"And the first round is over just after it starts! Will anyone be able to stop Tobias' powerful Darkrai?" The announcer called out as Dawn left the arena floor.

Ash stood up to go greet his girlfriend, "I will" he said with a fierce intensity. His friends flinched slightly at his tone before he took his leave to go meet Dawn.

He found her stomping her way back to the stands, and brought her into a hug. "Dont worry, ill get him back for this, he's done enough dream crushing with his Legendaries" Ash spoke from her shoulder.

She looked up at him and could see the fire in his eyes, and the blue haze of Aura flaring up in front of them. He looked like he was ready to _kill_ Tobias, not just beat him and she was slightly worried. "Ash, don't let him get to you, he may be an arrogant, narcissistic jerk but he's just that. Beat him fair and square and that will be all you'll need to break him".

The blue haze faded and the fire dimmed slightly in intensity, he focused his gaze on her own and drunk in the love swimming in the sapphire depths. "Your right... thanks" he engaged her in a kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Guys! Come on you can kiss later! Cilan is about to start his first round match!" Barry interrupted their moment before running off at his usual breakneck pace.

Dawn burst out giggling against Ash's lips, Barry sure knew how to ruin any mood be it good or bad. Ash couldn't help but laugh too, before the two of them walked back up to the stands to watch Cilan's first round.

They arrived to join the rest of their friends just as the match was starting, both Pokemon already out and ready to go. They took seats next to each other and Dawn rested her head on his shoulder. May looked at Ash longingly, which didn't go unnoticed by Iris, she frowned '_Looks like their's trouble in paradise'_ . She hoped it would resolve itself peacefully but seeing Ash and Dawn's new stage of their relationship with her own eyes she knew it wouldn't. Sighing she focused on the match.

Barry had taken his seat next to Bianca, he didn't know what to make of the female blonde but found that, despite their unfortunate meeting, he liked her company. "I expect to see a good match here! Cilan's a Gym Leader after all so he has to put up a fight!"

"Yaaaaaay, go Cilan! You got this!" Bianca cheered from the sidelines, her ever-burning perkiness in full force.

Pikachu and Piplup had taken up cheering positions on the bar in front of the seats. "Pika pi!" Pikachu did his little cheer dance.

"Piiiiipluuuuuuuup!" Dawn's starter mimicked, getting a giggle out of his trainer.

"The first round match between Cilan the Striaton Gym Leader and Jeffery also from Unova will now commence, Trainers begin!" The referee declared before throwing down his flags.

"Pansage start this off with Bullet Seed" Cilan called out first.

"Pan-pansage!" His Pokemon drew in a large breath of air then spat seed pellets surrounded by a green light at his opponent.

The Klang on the other side of the field braced itself for impact, being a steel type the Gear Pokemon knew it could take a move like Bullet Seed quite easily.

"Klang dodge and use Gear Grind!" Jeffery commanded from his box.

Klang hovered to the left of the stream of seed bullets fired its way, getting slightly caught on it's smaller, higher gear and spun slightly. Then powering up he sent two large cogs at Pansage, which hovered above him before crashing down on his chest in a vice like manner. They then began to grind together causing Pansage to cry out in pain. After spinning into Grass Monkey Pokemon they moved back into the air ready to slam back down and repeat the process. "Pansage dodge the next attack with dig!" Cilan quickly ordered.

Pansage reacted immediately, digging down as the large cogs slammed back together and ground in the air where he was just standing. Jeffery swore and tried to look where Pansage would come up, Klang anxiously doing the same.

They where both taken by surprise when Cilan spoke up "It's... evaluation time!" He snapped his fingers and pointed at Jeffery, whom in turn looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "From the battle so far its obvious to me that you and Klang share a special bond, one only gathered from the love and trust gained through battle, bringing a unique flavour to your battle style with a good amount of spice. However you lack experience in the recipe's of advanced strategies and a pinch of unpredictability can sour your dish!"

The group stared at him from the stands "Uhh what did Cilan just do?" Dawn asked completely puzzled.

"Oh I don't know, he's such a kid, half the time he says things no one even understands..." Iris facepalmed.

"I think he's cool!" Barry and Bianca said in unison, both hyper with energy.

Iris deadpanned and turned to them "Of course you do...".

Ash shrugged and look at May, who shrugged back, before he leaned forward "Did you understand him, Pikachu?".

"Pikachu pika pi" his partner shook his head.

They were brought back to the match by Cilan's next command.

"Now Pansage, use Solarbeam!"

Jeffery's eye's widened, Pansage wasnt even out of the ground yet! How could he use a Solarbeam? His question was answered second's later as the Grass Monkey Pokemon popped up out of the ground behind Klang, his arms already raised and he was gathering sunlight with his tuft of green hair. Jeffery tried to shout out a command but before he could Pansage reached the pinnacle of his jump and unleashed the power from the ball of sunlight in his hands.

A powerful beam of pure sunlight erupted forth and slammed, point-blank, into Klang's back, sending the unprepared Gear Pokemon hurtling towards the floor and smashing into the ground with an audible crack. A cloud of dust shot up and both trainer's and the referee awaited the results of the powerful attack.

Klang was laid out against a boulder, bruised and swirls for eye's. "Klang is unable to battle, the winner of this first round match goes to Pansage and Cilan!" The referee announced raising his flag.

Cilans picture knocked down Jeffery's and 'Winner' was placed above his face. "Great job Pansage, we made it to the second round!" He called out to his celebrating Pokemon.

Pansage turned and nodded at him happily, before he was returned to his Pokeball.

Jeffery returned his Klang and sulked off, not happy to have been knocked out in the first round.

"Way to go Cilan!" Ash called out to his friend who was now bowing from the applause he was receiving.

"Great job Cilan!" Iris cheered. The rest of the group adding their own cheers to the mix.

Cilan walked out of the arena, and the group moved down to congratulate him. After thanking them all for their kind words he turned to Ash. "You're up next for our little group, are you ready?".

Ash grinned and pumped his fist in the air "You bet I am, ive been psyched up for this all day!" His animosity towards Tobias completely forgotten.

"Good luck sweetie, ill be rooting for you from the side lines" Dawn gave him a chaste kiss and a quick hug before he took off to his arena.

"Well, we should go find which arena Ash will be competing in" Iris spoke up as he went out of view "Dont want to miss this match now do we?" She winked at them causing them all to nod vigorously. He would be using Cresselia after all.

After getting the correct information the group of friends moved to the correct arena and took up their seats, eager to see Ash in action. They didn't have to wait long as the announcer's face lit the screen up and his voice boomed through the stadium. "Welcome everyone to another first round match up!" Everyone cheered and waiting patiently for the Trainers to make their entrance.

"Coming in from the right, all the way from distant Johto, give it up for Heather!" The girl in question entered the arena, she was quite tall and had bright blonde hair flowing half way down her back and framing her face with two long straight bangs. She had deep green eyes and a stunningly beautiful face, she wore a white tank top and dark navy tight-fitting jeans, showing off all her curves. On her feet she wore simple white sandals. A pink Pokeball cap resting on her head. She waved to the people as she walked to her box, mainly getting attention from the males.

"And from the left, a veteran from many Pokemon Leagues, winner of the Orange League and Battle Frontier, coming all the way from Kanto, let's hear it for Ash Ketchum!" Ash ran into the stadium with a bright smile on his face. Everyone cheered loudly hearing some of his previous accomplishments, and much like his opponent his looks where gathering a lot of attention from the opposite gender. Dawn and May where both squirming at that. Iris thought it was hilarious.

Ash reached his box and looked at the girl he was facing, she was pleasing to the eye's for sure but that didn't matter in a Pokemon battle, and he wondered how good she actually was.

She obviously had different idea's, looking Ash up and down in obvious admiration, she blushed slightly and spoke up across the field "Who would have thought my first opponent would be so hot? How about we go on a date if I win this match?" She asked winking at him and making sure he got a good look at her exposed cleavage.

Dawn's face went red with anger when she heard that and a large vein could be seen on her forehead "Why that slut!" She was restrained by Cilan and Barry as she attempted to climb over the barrier and strangle the blonde flirting with her boyfriend.

Ash noticed Dawn's reaction and sweatdropped, he knew she was quite protective over their relationship, even more so since they became lovers. He shook his head "Sorry im taken, but im sure many of these other guys would be glad to have you" motioning with his hand the many drooling males.

She scowled at that, clearly hoping he'd be single or at least would go out with her anyhow. "Just remember this handsome, whoever your with... im better" she gave him another cheeky wink and stuck out her tongue playfully.

The referee took his place at the side of the field and stifled any further conversation, much to the relief of Cilan and Barry who were still trying to restrain the enraged bluenette. "This first round match with a be a one on one battle with no time limit, Trainer's present your Pokemon".

Heather grabbed a Pokeball, lifted her cap slightly so the sun reflected off her emerald green eyes "Let's win this, Machamp!" Kissing her Pokeball she launched it toward the battlefield, it spun rapidly before opening up and spilling out the familiar white light. The Pokemon that appeared was a behemoth of muscle, and he roared as he flex his four ripped arms, each ending in a meaty hand large enough to encircle your head. His skin was a pale blue and he had a crest on top of his almost human face, he wore black bodybuilding trunks around his waist and stood on two legs as thick as tree trunks. Machamp's picture appearing under his Trainer's on the large screen.

Ash grinned, it was time to reveal his first Legendary Pokemon in her debut match. He grabbed her Pokeball, smiled at it and then launched it skyward "I choose you!" He yelled as it reached a certain height before snapping open and released the stunning form of Cresselia, as she cooed and swooped down over the battlefield, showering the arena with her glittering trail of star dust. Everyone gaped or gasped at the sight of the beautiful Legendary, and all the girls squealed in delight. Dawn was mesmerized, imagining how good that would look in a contest, May was lost in similar thought as both coordinators looked on in wonder. Cresselia finally came to a stop in front of Ash and waited for commands, her picture appearing underneath Ash's on the monitor above.

Heather gaped at the Legendary, she wasnt expecting him to have a Pokemon like that! She stood there awestruck like an idiot, before her eyes once again ventured to the raven haired trainer. Him having a Legendary made him all the more attractive and she was practically swooning.

"The first round match between Machamp and Cresselia will now commence, Trainer's begin!" The referee called out, lowering his arms and stepping back.

Shaking her head and snapping out of her ogling daze Heather called out to her fighting type "Machamp! Start this off with Seismic Toss!".

"Ma-champ!" Her Pokemon bellowed before charging towards Cresselia, intent on grabbing her in his powerful hold.

Ash watched as Machamp came barreling over at a decent pace for such a beefy Pokemon, it was time to see how Powerful this Cresselia was in battle, he'd only trained with her up to this point, and while she showed great strength, it wasnt the same as attacking an actual opponent. "Cresselia use Psycho-Cut!"

She cooed in acknowledgement and launched a crescent shaped slice of pure psychic energy at her charging foe. It met Machamp head on in the middle of the field and connected with his chest. Hard. Ripping a nasty gash across his pectoral muscles and down his stomach, he was thrown hard through the air in the direction he'd come from, the super effective move doing critical damage. He finally came to a stop when he collided with the barrier at the edge of the arena where his head snapped back and clanged against the metal bar on the top, everyone sitting near that area scattered out of the way in fear. He slid down the wall, swirls for eyes and bleeding from the wound on his chest.

Heather stood there in shock, along with everyone else at the sheer power behind the move, and all eye's were fixated on the still form of Machamp, before turning their attention to Ash and his newest team member. He smiled nervously at all the glares and scratched the back of his head. Seconds later a round of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd and he allowed himself to breathe again. He then rushed over to Machamp to make sure he didn't overdo it.

When he reached him, Heather was by his side tending to the gash along his chest "Is he going to be alright? I didn't mean to hurt him that badly". Ash said honestly, guilt radiating in his auburn eyes.

Heather looked up at him and saw the genuine concern on his face, she smiled at him thankfully "He's taken quite the beating from that Psycho-Cut, but he'll survive, he just needs a trip to the Pokemon Center and a good night's rest. Your tougher than that aren't you Champy?".

"Champ..." he grated out, trying his best to sound macho. This brought a light giggle from his trainer.

Ash sighed in relief, as did Cresselia who was floating next to him and cooeing her apology "I'm glad you're going to be ok Machamp, and sorry for using a Legendary against you. Truth be told it's not my normal battling style. I'm using her here to stop an old rival of mine from winning another tournament from regular trainer's using his Darkrai..." clenching his fists he looked away slightly.

She nodded "I've seen that trainer earlier, he was battling against a blue haired girl and stomped on her Mamoswine, I felt really bad for her".

"That blue haired girl is my girlfriend, and his name is Tobias. He knocked me out in the Sinnoh League semi-finals using his Darkrai and Latios. It's about time someone knocked him down a peg or two" he replied, regaining his composure.

"Ah so that's the lucky lady" she winked at him, causing him to blush slightly. "I see I have some serious competition then, well I have to get Champy to the Pokemon Center, ill see you soon!" She cooed. He was about to tell her he wasnt interested but she was already leaving, although not without stopping at the exit to blow him a kiss.

He hoped Dawn didn't see that, she would probably murder the blonde. Shaking his head he made his way back to his friends, he found them waiting for him in the hall behind the stands. Dawn was the first to greet him as always, running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck bringing him into a congratulatory kiss. He returned it before spinning her around playfully and causing her to giggle. The rest of them approached at a much steadier pace and took turns to say express their awe at how strong Cresselia was.

"Cresselia is amazing Ash! You could probably win the Grand Festival with her if you entered!" May chirped, she was blown away by the sheer beauty and power within the Lunar Pokemon. She now desperately wanted one of her own...

"Cresselia did a great job... even if it was a bit overkill" Ash responded sheepishly. "Well we still have Barry, Iris and Bianca to watch today, and I believe Barry's up next?".

Barry remembered that he was in fact up next and a look of extreme panic settled on his face "Uh oh! Your right! I totally forgot! Ill see you from the arena floor! Out of the way people!" He rushed off through the crowds of people, who wisely got out of his way, as if his life depended on it. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Well that's Barry" Dawn laughed slightly, before she and her friends moved on to watch their hyperactive friend perform in his first round match up.

A couple of hours later, and everyone in the group had competed. With only Iris not making it through the first round, although no one could blame her. Her Axew went up against a Hydreigon and it was a pretty one-sided affair. Barry had ended up fighting against a Steelix with his Empoleon, winning quite easily. Bianca had fought a Druddigon with her Emboar, and despite her ditzy appearance she was actually pretty decent at battling, beating Druddigon and securing her place in the second round.

With today's tournament excitement over they all made their way back to the Pokemon Center for a meal cooked by Cilan in honor of Ash's birthday.

The cooks in the Center had allowed Cilan to make use of the kitchens, and he was hard at work preparing a birthday feast for Ash and all his friends, including a special cake.

May was sat in her room thinking. She had told Ash how she felt and was just waiting for the obvious rejection to come. She held onto a slim chance of hope that he'd like to be with her but she knew that was desperate at best, unfortunately he'd already fallen in love with Dawn. Sighing she laid back on her bed, looking out the window into the starry night's sky. It reminded her of all the time's she had spent doing that with Ash, Brock and her brother on their crazy journey's through Hoenn and Kanto. She kicked herself for being a fool. She and Ash could of had something then but she just thought he was too dense, plus she was being distracted by Drew all the time with his romantic flowers. Of course she ended up blushing all the time when he did that, what 14 year old girl wouldnt?

So she had gone with Drew, the only guy to ever treat her in a romantic fashion. Only once they where travelling around Johto they ran into problems, it turned out they where not very suitable for each other. The constant fighting, arguments starting over the littlest things and the general stress when around each other for extended periods of time eventually got too much. She remembered the night it all ended between them...

**Flashback**

_May stomped out of their room in the Pokemon Center, she had just gotten into another pointless argument with her boyfriend over which of them deserved to do the next contest first. It was such a silly thing to argue over but it turned into a full scale shouting match. She was trying to force down the rage that had built up during their heated discussion and went outside for fresh air to calm herself down. This trip to Johto with Drew really wasnt turning out the way she had planned and the constant fighting between them was ruining her experience of this beautiful new land. _

_She found herself laying on a patch of grass staring at the sky, remembering times she had done so on her previous journey, one that was filled with happy memories. She wondered what Ash and Brock where doing right now. She heard they had gone to Sinnoh to challenge the League there and knowing Ash he was getting into all sorts of crazy adventures. She missed those the most, all the insane stuff they ended up doing, it all ended when she parted ways with them. It seems that stuff only happened to Ash and anyone around him, the guy was prone to getting into once in a life time or world ending events. On top of that he was a total Legendary magnet, who else could say they have met nearly every single known Legendary in person? She shook her head. Maybe this was all a mistake..._

_'Well like it or not May you chose to part ways and do this journey on your own' she thought to herself sadly. When Drew offered to go with her then proceeded to ask her to be his girlfriend, everything had looked up for a while, and they did get on really well to start with. Only after being with each other for a few months did it get hard, too hard for the relationship to be a happy one..._

_She noticed the moon had moved a significant distance in the sky since she had been thinking, finding she wasnt filled with anger anymore, she decided to make her way back to their room and try to work things out with Drew. She knew if they both tried, this relationship could work... well she hoped it would. As she reached their room she could hear another voice talking to her boyfriend within, so she lowered her head to the door to listen._

_"...ing with you and May?" The female voice asked, she instantly recognised it as Soledad. May didn't even know the older girl was here._

_"Truthfully, not so well. We seem to argue a lot more than we should and we can't seem to have a normal conversation anymore without getting angry at each other over the stupidest things" Drew replied._

_"If it's not working out then why are you still with her? What... what about me?"_

_There was no answer for a while, May couldn't see into the room and wondered what was going off. "I told you before I don't think about you in that way, im sorry, but im wi-"_

_He was cut off as Soledad pressed her lips against his own, he was shocked to say the least, his eyes wide open. He was just about to push her off when May came storming through the door, tears running down her cheeks. "How could you! We're through!"._

_Before he could respond she had run from the Pokemon Center, crying her eyes out. She was such an idiot! Why did she believe he could be trusted? From now on she would only travel by herself. She finally came to a stop and collapsed next to a tree, eye's puffy and cheeks tear-stained, the image of Drew and Soledad locking lips present in her mind. She curled up in the fetal position, as she cried herself to sleep, wishing she was still on her journey with Ash, Brock and her baby brother Max..._

**Flashback end**

A fresh tear fell down her face at the memory, Arceus she was such an idiot! And now it seemed Ash was taken, if only she had stayed with him...

Her reverie was interrupted by Iris who poked her head through the door "Hey May! Cilan has finished Ash's meal and we're all meeting up in the dining area in five minutes! See you there!" With that she disappeared again.

May wiped her face with the back of her hand, removing the tear that had slipped out and made herself presentable before heading out the room to meet up with everyone else for Ash's birthday feast. She didn't want to be sad and ruin his special dinner.

Ash was in his room with Dawn getting excited about the food he'd be able to eat soon. He was hungry after the eventful day at the Clubsplosion and couldn't wait to fill his face. If only his girlfriend would hurry up! "Come on Dawn, your hair looks perfect, let's go!"

"It's nearly done, I just want to look nice for your big day" she explained, adding the finishing touches to her hairdo. When she was finally satisfied that everything was in its place she nodded "Ok! All done!".

Ash practically dragged her from the room upon hearing that, desperate to get to the food Cilan had prepared for him. "Ash you don't need to run you know, the food isnt going anywhere!"

"Yeah but the sooner we get there, the sooner I can taste it!" She giggled at his reply whilst trying to keep pace, the fact that he had stayed with her in the room whilst she got ready spoke volumes about how much he cared about her, so she could forgive him for almost dragging her there.

They got to the door's which would lead into the dining area and found all of their friends ready and waiting. "There you guys are! If you hadn't made it in time I would have had to fine you!" Barry shouted to them as they joined the group.

"What where you doing that caused you to take so long?" Bianca asked in her ditzy manner.

Iris could think of what they where doing. She mentally slapped herself for getting a dirty mind but blamed the couple for that. Afterall it all started after she walked in on them...

"I was waiting for Dawn to finish her hair" Ash pouted.

"Wow you actually got Ash to delay food to wait for you? He must really love you Dawn, don't let him go!" Barry joked, earning a few laughs from the group. May just sighed.

"No need to worry there Barry" she took Ash's hand and smiled happily.

Further conversation was interrupted by Cilan opening the door's "Come on through everyone, I hope you'll enjoy your special birthday meal Ash!"

They all hurried through into the room and saw that all the tables had been pushed together to create one long one and that all of Ash's favourite's were piled high across it. Pancakes with syrup, waffles , rice balls , cheeseburgers, fries and many more.

Everyone stared at all the delicious food, mouth's watering. "All right, you're the best Cilan!" Ash exclaimed before running over, grabbing a plate and hastily stacking as many thing as he could onto it. Everyone laughed and joined in, eager to sample what Cilan had prepared.

Once everyone had everything they wanted, they all took their seats and began to dig in. Ash and Dawn had the seats of honor in the middle, although Ash didn't really care about that, he was just glad that his seat offered him the best angle to grab as much food as he could.

The rest of the night was filled with conversations and laughs between friends, talking about past adventures and some of the crazy things they had all done. A particular highlight of the night was when Ash had to go back for his third helping and stacking a pile of pancakes so high he couldn't carry it, causing it wobble over and flatten him. Throughout the night May couldn't help but send lonely glances over at the happy couple in the center of the table, they where laughing together and sharing their food, at one point Dawn even put ice cream on her nose and got Ash to lick it off... she wished it was her instead...

When the night came to an end, everyone's stomach was full and they all retired for the night, needing to get up bright and early for round two of the tournament.

Ash managed to find his legs to walk back to their room, as usual he'd eaten too much and needed Dawn to help him get there. She placed him on the bed and giggled at how fat his stomach was. "If I didnt know any better Ash Ketchum, id say you where pregnant".

He threw a pillow at her and started laughing, which caused her to pick it up and start beating him with it playfully, a small pillow fight ensued until Ash got cramps from his overfull stomach and called a truce.

"Dawn listen, there's something I need to talk to you about." He suddenly took on a serious tone, and the mirth left his eyes.

"Oh what is it?" she asked, curious.

"Well.. it's about May" he added slowly.

She felt her heart tense up, what was he going to say? Was he about to break up with her and leave her for May? No! He wouldn't!

"Well... don't take this out of proportion ... but she kinda told me she loves me and wants to know how I feel... about her" he finished. He looked at Dawn to try to gauge his girlfriends reaction, at the moment she had gone as stiff as stone and her right eye was twitching.

Dawn wanted the strangle her 'friend' for doing this! She knew they where together and she confesses her love to him anyhow? What kind of friend does that! "I think im going to kill her".

The fact she said it so calmly only made Ash worry more. "Dawn, May only confessed because it was eating her up inside, and besides you have no need to worry, I only have eye's for you" he smiled warmly at her.

She instantly felt the rage drain from her system hearing his words. She should have more faith in her lover, but that fact that one of his close friends had confessed her feelings did make her feel jealous. Thinking about it, she actually felt kind of bad for May, but it still didn't excuse her trying to poach someone else's boyfriend. "I know, thank you Ash" she responding, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

Ash leaned back on the bed and sighed "I just don't know how to let her down without hurting her feelings. May's one of the closest friends ive got and I don't want to lose her friendship".

"Dont worry, we will sort something out. But your going to have to tell May one way or another, and no matter how you dress it up it's still... rejection".

Ash nodded, standing up "I know, I guess ill just have a talk with her tomorrow. Thanks".

She smiled at her lover and they both stripped off to their underwear before she followed him into bed and snuggled up next to him, wrapping her arms around his chest. "Good night Ash, I love you".

He wrapped his around her tiny waist, before kissing the top of her blue hair "I love you too". With that they both fell in to a deep sleep, dreaming about the days events.

**Unova Region - ?**

Ghetsis walked into his office, he was expecting visitor's and he knew these agents didn't disappoint him. Upon entering he stood still as three figures materialized around him.

They had long white hair trailing down their backs, with two long bangs framing their face. A black headband across their foreheads kept it out of their eyes. They wore a black facemask which only left their eye's visible and it extended down their neck and covered the top half of their torso's. Their arms where bare showing their pasty skin but their hands were encased in black gloves. Their lower torso was covered with a fine black sheet which revealed their toned bodies underneath, and their legs were covered with baggy black leggings held up with a belt. Two strands of grey material were fastened to the top of their leggings, going from one leg to the other forming an X shape. Their feet encased in thick black boots.

"Report" Ghetsis abruptly commanded. None of the three even showing the slightest bit of emotion.

"We have completed the task assigned us, Lord Ghetsis" One of them spoke, he handed a Pokeball to his leader and stood motionless with his two brothers.

Ghetsis grinned, he looked over the Pokeball and nodded in satisfaction "Very good, you've done your jobs well, now Id like you to make sure N does his part, and keep away any interference that might disrupt him".

They bowed in unison and disappeared from view. He smiled knowing they wouldn't fail , unlike most in Team Plasma they could be relied upon and they where strictly loyal to him alone.

He sat at his desk and looked at the Pokeball they had given him. One more piece of the puzzle was his, it was only a matter of time before he had it all...

**Next- Chapter 12: Tournament Trial's**

**Thanks for reading everyone, this chapter is very battle focused, but its at a tournament so it's all fitting. I hope you all enjoyed it at least.**

**I'm enjoying writing this story so the daily chapter's shall continue to pour forth from my poor overworked fingers.**

**Until next time ficcers! Peace out.**


	12. Tournament Trial's

**Hello readers, thanks for reading this far. I will say a few things though.**

**First im not entirely happy with the last chapter, it felt too fillery for me and idk, let's just say I feel like I could have done a better job, so sorry about that. I will try to redeem myself with this chapter!**

**Second, please don't think I hate May, I love her character, I really do, and she will be happy later on in the story and find love. I promise!**

**Third, I feel like my story is severely lacking in Pokemon interaction and I do plan to work on that.**

**Fourth, I'm terrible at coming up with Chapter names ..**

**Well enough self ranting, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 11 : Tournament Trials**

**Sinnoh Region - Iron Island**

It was close to midnight, the native Pokemon where all fast asleep, and the moon was cresting the sky. Not a sound could be heard throughout the entire Island, like its inhabitants were holding their breath, although for what they didn't know.

Riley was fast asleep in his camp, his faithful Lucario next to him. He was dreaming, or rather having a nightmare. He was tossing and turning in his sleeping bag as the images bombarded his mind.

In his dreams he was standing in a strange land, looking out over a burning city. The Pokemon had gone insane, and where attacking people on sight. Buildings where on fire and explosions could be seen going off in the distance. A bright orange glow caught his attention from his perch on a nearby hillside and he looked down to see a person running from an enraged Charmeleon.

"What's going on?" He asked himself in disbelief. "What's happening here? Am I dreaming?" His Lucario wasn't next to him so he knew it couldn't be reality, yet it felt so real. Almost like he was looking into the past or... the future. The thought struck him with an intense feeling of dread.

Moving his legs as fast as possible, he ran down into the city to see what the cause of all this destruction and pain was. He came upon the corpse of an officer, clearly he had been trying to protect someone and had lost his head for his troubles. This was madness!

Walking passed the unfortunate officer, he continued on until he came face to face with a Pokemon he didn't recognise.

It was tall, standing nearly two meter's in height. It had armor plated scales covering the majority of its body, taking a yellow and dark grey colouring. It stood bi-pedal on two stout legs ending in a three taloned foot, sharp red talons extending from each toe. It had two small arms ending in similar three pronged red claws and a long tail extended behind it. Its head sat on top of a long neck and it had two blade like tusks jutting from its cheeks, each resembling an axe head in appearance. Two red, exhausted, eyes peered out in confused outrage.

"Haxooooorussssssss!" It bellowed upon seeing him, its claws bared and charging up with blue draconic power. It's intent was clear enough and if he didn't act quick he would be no better off than the decapitated officer.

He channeled the all familiar Aura within himself and stuck out his hands, releasing the stored power, creating a barrier. The rampaging Haxorus smashed into it, then proceeded to attack it with a savageness that bordered on insanity. Holding the barrier up against such attacks was proving a real strain, and he knew he couldn't keep it up for long.

Sighing he realised this Pokemon was beyond reason and powered up a powerful sphere of Aura between his hands before launching it at the dragon type. The attack connected with its head and knocked it back a few steps, only for it to receive another orb in its gut, then its legs. Finally another orb to the face sent it down and knocked it out. Grunting Riley dropped his shield and made his way over to the fallen Haxorus.

He began to examine it, trying to find out what had caused it to lose its mind to rage. It didn't seem to have any physical injuries. He had noticed that it seemed tired though, as if it was extremely fatigued or lacking sleep?

Looking at the creature's eyes again, which were now thankfully closed, he noticed again the thick black lines around them, and the puffy bags underneath. It looked like this Haxorus hadn't slept in weeks!

He looked around and found a fainted Pokemon over by the side of a destroyed apartment block, it looked like it had just collapsed from exhaustion rather than from being attacked. He quickly made his way over to take a look at it. The still form of the Espeon was shaking slightly and it's face was scrunched up like it was having a terrible dream. 'More nightmares' he thought darkly. The Espeon also had the familiar dark rings around its eyes and looked like it had been purposefully avoiding sleep.

Something was very wrong here, and he needed answers. Hoping that this would work, he focused his Aura into his palms and placed them against the psychic types forehead, trying to link their minds and share their experiences.

At first all he felt was confusion, anger and desperation. The strength of these emotions hit him like a tidal wave and he grunted in effort to stop them from overwhelming him. Fighting through the maelstrom of madness engulfing the poor creature's mind he found her, he realised her gender, memories.

Seeing the past few weeks through her eyes was shocking to behold. She and all the other Pokemon of this land had started to have terrible nightmares, ones strong enough to leave you sweating and drained upon waking. Only these nightmares hadn't been a one time occurence and had continued to plague the people and Pokemon, every night, until both sides decided that they didn't want to sleep anymore. Eventually the humans forced themselves to sleep , but the wild Pokemon where not so fortunate. Going mad from exhaustion they started lashing out at anything they could to try and stop the dark images from appearing in their heads. Eventually most of them had just collapsed after going on a mad rampage, finally finding they couldn't keep their eye's open a second more, only then to be engulfed by the darkness they where running from.

The poor Espeon he was linking with was currently experiencing such dreams and was frightened out of her wits. He broke the link and shook his head. Why where nightmares so prevalent? Why where they being caused like this on such a mass scale, and on such a consistent basis?

It wasn't a natural occurence, that was a certainty. That meant that someone or something was behind this chaos and he wondered who could possible benefit from all this.

He suddenly fell to his knee's body wracked with immeasurable pain, as images and faces were burned into his memory. They flashed through his mind too quick to focus on.

He was down on his hands, grunting in agony when they abruptly stopped. He took a deep breath to steady himself and stood up.

The scene around him had changed, the city was in ruins, and it looked like it had been for a few years. There where strange signs littered everywhere but the only sign that life had once been here was the abandoned buildings and a few old bones. Again he got the unsettling sensation that he was looking at things to come. He took a step towards the now empty city, when the image of it distorted and he was suddenly falling into a black abyss that seemingly had taken up the space where the ground should of been. He fell and fell, the blackness coming absolute, until it finally enveloped him entirely. He screamed-

-And bolted upright in his sleeping bag, drenched in sweat. Despite that he felt a cold shiver run down his back. Something terrible was going to happen, and soon. Why was he being shown this? He didn't even recognise the land in his dream, so he had no idea where to even begin.

Lucario sensed him awaken and opened his eyes, looking at his partner, slightly concerned. "Master, what's wrong?" He spoke through his Aura, directly into Riley's head.

Shaking his head Riley gathered his wits "I was just in a dream... only it felt different somehow... like a vision of sorts. There was a city, and the Pokemon had lost themselves to insanity. They couldn't sleep without being wracked with horrific nightmares so most of them were staying awake as long as they could, eventually going mad from exhaustion".

Lucario felt a sense of dread well up within him "This sounds serious, Master. Did you receive any clues whilst in this vision?".

Focusing he tried to remember everything he'd seen "It felt like an event yet to happen... like I was looking into the future... and I saw-" the images that had been imprinted into his mind suddenly rushed to the fore. He was slightly overwhelmed to start with, letting out a slight gasp. Lucario rushed to his side, worried.

Steadying himself he forced the images down into something he could comprehend and focused on them one at a time. The first one was castle, hidden far away from prying eyes, it was gigantic and must house thousands. But that's not what made it stand out, the feeling of dread seemed to be emanating from it, as if it was the source of all the troubles yet to come. He curiously moved onto the second image, it showed a young man with long, bushy, green hair, he was somehow unwittingly tied to the coming destruction. The third image was of a teenage girl with navy blue hair, she had sapphire eyes and a warm smile. The girl seemed to radiate hope, but she seemed more of a supporting role, an important piece on the board but not the centre focus. He remembered her helping him here on the Island not long back. The final image was of a teen boy nearly into his adult years. He had unkept raven black hair and deep caring auburn eye's. He seemed to be the shining light in the coming darkness and was the only one capable of stopping it, Riley realised with a start. He also recognised him as the boy who'd helped him deal with Team Galactic and calm down the enraged Pokemon here on Iron Island. There was something else about him, something extremely familiar. Before he could grasp just what that was, the image faded from his mind's eye.

Processing the new information as fast as his brain would allow, he knew what he had to do. "Lucario, pack our things, we're making a trip. For whatever reason we have been summoned to a strange new land. What role we will play in stopping it, I can't say, but we will stop it. It's our duty as Aura Guardians".

"I shall begin gathering our things at once, Master. Where are we headed?" Lucario asked.

He couldn't say how he knew but the name of the land and how to reach it where already lodged into his memory "We are going to Unova" he stated, putting on his hat.

Lucario had never heard of the place, but nodded and got on with his task. After just a few minutes everything was all ready to go.

They set off on their small boat which would take them back to the main land, from there they could continue on to Unova.

Riley was about to explain how they would be getting there, when another image was pulled into focus within his mind. He nodded and smiled "But first, we have a small stop to make along the way. There is someone else that will be joining us..."

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

Ash woke with a start, beads of sweat running down his body. The nightmares had come again and were just as bad as before. He rubbed his hand over his face to clear the salty liquid from his forehead and tried to regulate his breathing.

Pikachu opened his eye's hearing his friend panting. He noticed him in a bit of a shocked state and quickly hopped up onto the bed to see what was amiss. "Pika pi?".

He looked at his Pokemon's worried face and quickly calmed himself down "It was just a nightmare Pikachu... it was pretty bad one though" he shook his head trying to clear the after images of his house burning to the floor, his mother and Dawn trapped inside...

Pikachu cocked an eyebrow, he'd been having nightmares too. He had dreamt that he and Ash had finally won the Master League, only for his closest friend to turn on him, saying he didn't want him as his Pokemon anymore. That him not evolving into a Raichu made him worthless. He'd woken an hour earlier in panic and sadness only to be reassured by the plain creme carpet of their room. He hadn't been to sleep since fearing a repeat performance. "Pika pika! Pikachu, pi pika pi, pikachu" he told Ash doing scary faces.

"You had a nightmare too, buddy?" He nodded his head furiously. "Strange... guess we really are alike huh?" Ash chuckled at the thought and Pikachu gave a small giggle.

Feeling a little better now, thanks to his friend, he turned to look at Dawn, making sure they'd not woken her up.

Her face was screwed up and she was breathing rapidly, eyes dancing behind her closed lids. 'She's having a nightmare too? What are the odds of that?' He was broken from his thoughts as she suddenly let out a pained gasp and clenched her hands together, grabbing the bed sheets tightly. He quickly took hold of her and began to shake her awake "Dawn, wake up!".

She came to, scared out of her mind, her terrified gaze scanning her surroundings for something. Seeing where she was, she let out a breath of tension and then threw herself into Ash's arms, sobbing slightly. "A-Ash it was terrible, they... t-t-they..."

Pulling her into a tight embrace, he gently stroked the back of her head "It was just a nightmare, nothing will hurt you whilst im here, ok?" He said in his most reassuring voice.

Looking up at him, she nodded before sitting up and wiping the unshed tears from her eyes. "Thank you, i-it... felt so... so real..." her voice was still a little shaky.

"Nightmares often do, to tell you the truth, Pikachu and I have had a similar experience tonite..." he trailed off.

"Really?" She asked, raising a brow. Pikachu jumped up onto her lap, nodding "Pikachu pi pikapi pika!"

"I hope your feeling better now Pikachu" she brought the small mouse into a hug, and rubbed the back of his ears, earning a "Chaaaaaa" from the content electric type.

"I need to verify something" Ash said, getting up and out of bed and walking over to Piplup. He was still asleep next to where Pikachu had been, and his eyes were closed. But it was clear from his expression he was sharing the same dark dreams they all had. "Piplup's having nightmares too..."

Dawn shot out of bed to rouse her suffering starter from his sleep "Piplup! Wake up, your having a bad dream!"

He awoke with wide eye's, before noticing the familiar face of his trainer and relaxing. "Piplup pip piplup!" He explained.

"I know, we all had nightmares too, your ok now" she soothed, putting him down next to Pikachu so the two could talk.

"All four of us have nightmares in one night? This can't be a coincidence" Ash stated bluntly.

Dawn was inclined to agree "It doesn't seem like a natural possibility. We should ask everyone else when they get up if they have similar issues, then we will know for sure".

He nodded, thinking along the same lines. "What time is it anyhow?" He could see the sun starting to poke its head up over the horizon.

She quickly checked her Poketch "Its 5 am, a little too early for my tastes but we're up now and after that dream I don't fancy going back to sleep".

"Yeah, I don't feel like going back to bed either. Well we have a few hours to kill before everyone gets up and the days starts, what do you wanna do?" He asked turning to face her.

She put on the most seductive look she could muster and bit her bottom lip "Well... we could..." her eyes motioning to the bed.

He looked into her eyes and could see the lust in those sapphire depths. "Really? Your that horny already?".

Nodding she grabbed his arm and threw him onto the bed, before positioning herself on top of him "I didn't know you where a bit of a nympho, Miss Berlitz" he giggled as she hit his chest.

"I am not a nympho!" She blushed "If you don't want to do this then..."

He quickly grabbed her waist so she couldn't move, and she smirked at him "Who's horny now?".

"That's not fair. You offer sex then take it away! How could the thought of doing it with you not make me horny?" He defended himself.

She giggled and began to slowly grind her panties against his boxers, earning a few moans from him.

Pikachu and Piplup where watching with rapt fascination. Pikachu turned to his companion, "So this is a human mating process?"

Piplup shrugged "It would seem so, ive never actually seen one. She does seem to be mounting him though. Funny, shouldnt it be the male mounting the female?".

Pikachu shrugged back "You would think so, but their whole reproduction system doesn't make any sense, all that back and forth flirting and talking, they should just be direct and claim their mates" he shook his head.

Piplup smirked "You mean you prefer the way Buneary and Snivy try to claim you?"

Pikachu's face darkened slightly and Piplup burst out laughing "That's not funny! When you get a mate after you, then ill be the one laughing!".

"You know they are watching us right?" Ash nodded towards their starters, he wondered what was so funny to Piplup and so infuriating to Pikachu.

"Piplup, Pikachu! You should respect our privacy!" Dawn scolded, and they quickly darted into the bathroom, neither of them particularly keen to be on the receiving end of the bluenette's wrath.

She giggled as they ran off, then got back to the task at hand. She moved aside her panties to reveal her pussy and instantly felt Ash go hard underneath her. "I take it you like what you see?"

He just nodded his gaze transfixed on her private area, she was about to pull down his boxer's when the door opened to their room. She quickly fell off Ash and landed next to him in the bed, blushing furiously.

Cilan popped his head through their door and noticed what he walked in on "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" He quickly turned his head away, cheeks red.

Knowing the mood was now ruined Ash sighed "Not anymore, what's up Cilan?".

He turned back to face the couple on the bed and continued "Well I was woken by a terrible nightmare, and found I couldn't get back to sleep. Fear and sleep are ingredients that don't make a palatable recipe. I heard you guys talking and figured you where up, so I wondered if you'd like an early breakfast?".

Ash turned to his lover and she nodded "We'd love that, thanks Cilan. You know we all had nightmares too".

Cilan looked surprised at this "Really? That is strange, we should discuss it later. I'll go start breakfast". With that he left, closing the door behind him.

When he was gone, Dawn burst out laughing "I can't believe he almost saw us doing it".

Ash smiled "Yeah that would have been embarrassing, he might have gotten a quick peek at you though".

She blushed "I-I hope not!".

Hearing conversation in the room, Pikachu poked his head through the door, assuming his Trainer and his mate had finished mating. "Pika?".

"You can come on through now guys, Cilan ruined the mood so we're having breakfast" Ash answered.

They both came running out of the bathroom, clearly pleased with the idea of eating Cilan's cooking.

Ash and Dawn decided they'd get dressed. Dawn putting on her new outfit, wanting to give it a test drive.

"I know the mood is ruined, but you don't know what you're doing to me with that outfit, it's as bad as your skirt" Ash said, unable to take his eyes of his girlfriends backside, the denim shorts where quite a tight fit and didn't leave much to the imagination.

Dawn giggled "We can continue THAT later..." she trailed off, batting her eyelashes.

He swallowed and nodded quickly, trying his hardest not to have a nose bleed. He looked down and found Pikachu and Piplup trying their hardest not to laugh. "Oh shut up you two".

They both burst out laughing, before Ash began to chase them around the room.

"Come on you three, we have a Cilan breakfast waiting for us" Dawn reminded them.

They calmed down, not without receiving one final glare from Ash, before the four of them made their way to the cafeteria.

Ash had just finished piling his plate with waffles when May walked through into the room, looking rather tired. She yawned and stretched her arms "Morning Ash, guys, your all up early".

"We kinda all had nightmares so decided to get an early breakfast".

"Yeah me too..." she shook her head, thinking how strange it was that they all shared the same experience.

"Well grab a plate, Cilan cooked us a nice feast!" Ash smiled at her.

She nodded gratefully, before helping herself to the buffet of foods spread out across a table, freshly made and smelling amazing.

They all sat down and enjoyed the food prepared by their Connoisseur friend, and began talking amongst themselves when they had finished. As the sun came up they were joined by Iris, Bianca and Barry, each telling the same story. Nightmares. Some more extreme than others.

After everyone had eaten up, they brought the issue to the fore. "Why do you think we all had a nightmare on the same night? Something about that doesn't add up" Iris stated.

"There's something definitely amiss with this whole thing, that's for sure" Cilan added.

"Ive never known so many people have one on the same night all in such a close proximity, I had a bad nightmare the other evening, it was after we saved Cresselia... but none of you where asleep at that moment so its hard to tell if it was a similar occurence" Ash explained.

Everyone looked at him suspiciously, but Dawn nodded "It's true when I went to wake him up to go visit Cresselia, he was thrashing about in his bed. It took Pikachu's Thunderbolt to wake him out of it and when he did he told me he was in the middle of a horrific dream".

"Well until we have any clues we can't do much, just knowing a lot of people had bad dreams close together could be a coincidence after all. We have to just hope we come across something of note sometime in the near future and see if this experience repeats itself" Cilan finished for them.

None of them looked happy but nodded in agreement, since they had nothing to work with at the current moment in time.

When the rest of the people staying in the Center awoke a short time later, it soon became apparent that nightmares where a common problem, with everyone they talked to saying they had suffered one during the night.

With more questions than answers, the group made their way to the Clubsplosion for the quarter-finals. Unaware that a mischievous little fox was following them...

**Unova Region - Clubsplosion**

They had all signed in and were now waiting to see who their second round foe's would be. The room was filled with the sixteen Trainer's who had made it through to the quarter-finals, minus Tobias, but Ash knew he was nearby, he could sense him.

The screen they where all watching suddenly filled with sixteen portraits and began to shuffle them around, before settling pair's of two's into a tournament bracket. Once all the cards where in place, they flipped over to reveal the match ups.

Quickly scanning the screen everyone tried to find their own faces. Ash found his first and gasped when he saw he was matched up against Barry, who had apparently found his own face too and noticed who he was up against. The two of them caught eye contact before grinning, friends or not this would be a good match and they were both eager to battle.

May was up against a man named Finley from the Sinnoh Region, Cilan was up against Bianca, so in total four of the group of friends would be competing against one another.

All satisfied they knew whom they would be up against they went to see what times they were fighting.

Ash and Barry were up in the first match, with May shortly after. Cilan and Bianca's match was one of the last.

"Looks like we are up against each other later in the day Bianca, I give you my best wishes in advance" Cilan bowed towards the blonde.

"Thanks Cilan, you too!" She chirped back.

Doing one last glance at the screen, Ash saw Tobias was up against some poor boy from Hoenn called Reece. He hoped Reece would be able to take down Darkrai and humiliate him, but knew that was unlikely at best. The group made their way to the hallway behind the stands of the main arena that would be used for all of today's matches.

"Alright Barry, we're up first. Good luck!" Ash stuck his hand out to his friend before he took it.

"You bet Ash, but don't expect to win against my Empoleon, even if you're using a Legendary! We're going all the way to the finals!" Barry responded with an enthusiastic grin.

"Good luck to you both guys, but sorry Barry when your up against my boyfriend there is only one person I can cheer for" Dawn said, giving Ash his now customary good luck kiss.

"Your going to be cheering for me too, right buddy?" He asked Pikachu, on his usual perch.

"Pika pika!" He nodded in affirmation, before jumping over to Dawn's shoulder.

"Dont worry Barry, we're all cheering for you both" Bianca added, smiling.

"Thanks guys, winning with less support make it's all the more sweeter! I'll see you down on the field Ash!" Barry then ran off in his usual way.

"Well I better join him, see you guys from the arena floor!" With that Ash took his leave and weaved his way through the crowd.

Making his way through the many corridors to the waiting room, Ash began to go over a dilemma that had been bothering him. He didn't think using Cresselia was fair against anyone that was not Tobias, unfortunately he didn't have another choice to meet the older man here on any other terms. He considered, not for the first time, not using her full power in their battles. But a part of him told him that wouldn't be fair either, because if he didn't give it his all he wouldn't be doing his opponent's justice. Frustrated to be put in this position he just decided to give it his all, hoping Empoleon would at least be able to retaliate, unlike Machamp...

He thumbed his Pokeball, enlarging it then shrinking it a few times whilst he went over his troubling thoughts, before he was finally called through into the arena. He walked through the doors and into the hallway that would lead him out onto the battlefield, pulling his cap lower to shield his eyes from the intense glare the sun was giving off. He walked out as the announcer called his name and he received a loud applause, obviously some in the crowd had seen him perform yesterday and were quite eager to watch Cresselia in action again.

He noticed Barry take up the opposite side of the field and nodded to him respectfully.

A large man had joined the commentator and Ash recognised him as Don George, the guy responsible for hosting the entire tournament.

"Welcome everyone to this quarter-final match between these two fine young Trainers" He announced bellowing into the mic. "I hope to see a splendid match to start off today's battle activities and see who of you will be advancing to the semi-finals, so let's get the battle underway!".

The crowd roared in agreement, and a referee took up his place in the centre of the field. "This will be a one on one quarter-final match with no time limit, Trainer's send out your Pokemon".

Ash grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, enlarged it then launched it towards the battlefield. "Cresselia, I choose you!" The ball span fast as it sped across the field before finally snapping open and spilling out Cresselia in a flash of white light.

The Lunar Pokemon cooed as she floated on Ash's side of the arena, ready for the battle at hand. The crowd went wild with cheers and a few gasps of awe as they locked their gaze on the beautiful Legendary.

Barry proceeded to swing his arm around and launch his Pokeball onto the battlefield, revealing his partner in the tournament "Empoleon, let's go!" In a flash of white light the large Emperor Penguin Pokemon stood ready for action, "Em-pol!".

"The quarter-final match between Cresselia and Empoleon will now begin!" The referee threw down his arms and started the match.

"Alright Empoleon let's see what Cresselia is truly made of, start it off with a bang! Use Hydro Cannon!" Barry commanded eagerly.

"Empooooooool!" Empoleon started building a large amount of water within his mouth, containing it into a compact ball of power, when it was pressurised enough he leaned back before launching it forward. It shot across the field like a bullet, on a collision course with the Lunar Pokemon.

"Cresselia, use Psychic to block it!" Ash countered.

The Legendary cooed then surrounded herself in a blue aura of power before her eyes flashed. The powerful ball of water, stopped a few meter's away from her and then proceeded to fly back the way it came with equal force.

Empoleon looked uneasy. "Slice it apart with Steel Wing!" Barry ordered him, and he complied powering up the blades on the edge of his wings with a white glow, he then brought them down on the incoming psychic powered water ball, slicing it down the middle and dissipating the attack. "Now use Drill Peck!".

Nodding he launched himself into a spin fast enough to send him skyward, his beak sticking out in front and glowing with power as he surged through the air towards his foe.

"Wait until the last moment, then dodge, then use Psy-wave" Ash commanded calmly.

Up in the stands Piplup and Pikachu had donned their outfits and where cheering Ash on, doing their little dance on the bar. Dawn was sat just behind them "Come on Ash!" She shouted, letting her lover know she had his back.

Bianca decided team Barry needed some support too "Go Barry! You can pull this off!".

Back on the battlefield Empoleon was nearing his target, closing in fast. Cresselia waited until he was a few feet away from her, then moved like lightning. She suddenly wasn't there anymore and Empoleon smashed into the floor where his opponent once was, looking slightly confused. Seconds later a full powered Psy-Wave smashed into his side, sending him sprawling.

He felt tremendous pain wrack his right side where the attack landed but got back to his feet, albeit shakily.

"Empoleon!" He roared his defiance.

Ash was impressed, he knew Cresselia's power was far higher than that of a regular Pokemon like Empoleon, even if he was a tier three evolution, and would compliment Barry later for raising him well. But right now he had a battle to win, unfair or not. "Now Cresselia, slam him with Psychic!".

"Use Aqua Jet to dodge! Then hit her with Steel Wing!" Barry quickly shouted from the other side of the field.

Cresselia powered up her Psychic aura and directed it towards the Emperor Penguin Pokemon, but before the force of the attack could envelop him, he'd surrounded himself in a powerful torrent of water and used it to propel himself skyward, once high enough he dropped it and dove down towards the Legendary with his wings glowing with the power of a Steel Wing.

Ash knew he'd be better off landing a direct hit than dodging "Now Cresselia, Psycho-Cut!"

She quickly powered up the crescent-shaped psychic attack and launched it at the incoming form of Empoleon, who used one of his wings as a shield. Steel Wing met Psycho-Cut a few feet in front of Cresselia and both Pokemon where knocked back by the powerful blast that ensued. A cloud of dust billowed up around the pair.

Everyone looked on in anticipation, eager to see the results of the attacks, none more so than Ash and Barry.

The dust cleared, revealing Cresselia floating there with a few bruises adorned over her body, and Empoleon laid on his back with swirl's for eyes. A nasty mark along his left wing.

"Empoleon is unable to battle, the winner of the first quarter-final match is Cresselia and Ash!" The referee announced, raising one of his flags high.

The stadium erupted in cheers, Pikachu, Piplup and Dawn the loudest among them.

Up on the screen, Ash's portrait knocked down Barry's and the words 'Winner' where visible above it.

Barry sighed and returned his starter "You did a great job Empoleon, im proud of you. Take a nice long rest". A beam of red light enveloped his knocked out Pokemon, returning it to its ball.

"Fantastic job Cresselia, now take a good rest" Ash called out to his Legendary, she cooed in appreciation and returned to her Pokeball.

"What a fantastic match to start us off in the quarter-finals!" Don George bellowed over the mic, easily overriding the crowd "Cresselia is certainly a power house to be reckoned with, but Empoleon put up a great fight! Both Trainers can be proud of their Pokemon's performance!".

Ash and Barry left the arena floor to meet up with their friends behind the stands. As usual, as soon as he came into sight of the group, Ash braced himself for a flying hug from Dawn. As predicted she ran over and launched herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck "You were amazing sweetie! I love how strong Cresselia is and how well she listens to you!" She leaned in closer so her next words were for them alone " It's a real turn on seeing you smash opponents aside so easily" she whispered into his ear, making him blush. She giggled and released her hold around him as everyone else came over.

Ash met Barry and shook his hand "Great match Barry, you've done an amazing job raising Empoleon and you can be proud of him".

"Thanks Ash, Cresselia is amazing too! Now don't you go and lose this now! Anyone who beats me has to win it! If you don't im gonna have to fine you!" He finished earning a laugh from Ash.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu ran up to him and jumped up onto his shoulder, nuzzling his face "Chaaaaaa!"

"Thanks Pikachu, I can always count on your support!" Ash gave his first Pokemon a thumbs up, which Pikachu returned.

"Excellent job, both of you, your Pokemon are in fine shape. The battle you had was full of interesting spices and a hint of surprise creating a full flavor for the senses!" Cilan announced, a happy smile on his face.

"Uh thanks... I guess?" Ash responded, slightly confused at what he'd just heard.

"Oh Cilan" Iris facepalmed "But great job you two, you had an amazing battle, it was really fun to watch!"

"Thanks Iris" Ash gave his Unovan friend a quick hug in appreciation "So May, your up soon. You getting pumped?" He asked putting up his fist, giving her an enthusiastic grin.

She found his mood infectious and was getting really psyched for her match now "Yeah I am, time so show these people what a Coordinator can do!" She pumped out her own fist, grinning back at him.

"I know you will May, you're an amazing battler and your combinations are spectacular to behold. I'll be rooting for you all the way" Ash said giving her a thumbs up.

She brought him into a close hug "Thanks Ash, that means the world to me". She pulled back blushing slightly before running off down to the arena. Trying to avoid Dawn's glare.

Ash took his girlfriends hand in his own and squeezed it to reassured her "Come on guys, let's get back to watch May's match".

They all nodded in agreement and the group soon made their way to the arena Ash and Barry had just fought in, taking up their front row seats to watch the action.

May found herself in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for the call to walk out into the arena. She knew Ash was out there cheering for her and she didn't want to disappoint him. Relationship or not they where close friends and that was enough of a reason for her to give it 110%.

She was called through to the battlefield a few minutes later, and she stepped out into the sunlight and the hot summer air, as her opponent did on the opposite side. She remembered he was called Finley and that he was from Sinnoh, so she was expecting a Pokemon from that particular part of the world.

"Let's get this second quarter-finals match underway! We just had a fantastic battle between two really well trained Pokemon and hope that the same quality of battle continues into our later matches!" Don George announced as May and Finley took up their positions on opposite sides of the field.

The referee came forward to announce the rules of the match "This will be a one on one quarter-final match, Trainer's please send out your Pokemon".

May already had her choice Pokeball in hand and launched it skyward "Blaziken, take the stage!" The ball snapped open in mid-air to spill forth its white light, taking the form of May's starter Pokemon. "Blazi-ken!" He called out as he gracefully appeared from his ball, all of her Pokemon were trained to make an amazing entrance.

"Wow what an exquisite entrance from such a powerful Pokemon" Cilan exclaimed getting all starry-eyed.

"Your such a kid, honestly Cilan I worry about you" Iris sighed watching the Connoisseur with exasperation.

Finley, threw his Pokeball out onto the field "Let's go Bibarel!" His Pokeball snapped open, and revealed a rather plump looking Beaver Pokemon.

The referee came forward "This quarter-final match between Blaziken and Bibarel will now begin!" He threw down his arms and the match began.

"Blaziken, start this off with Fire Spin!" May called out, wasting no time in getting off the first hit, her contest experience coming through.

"Blazi-ken!" He yelled as he started to build up large amounts of energy within his mouth before shooting a spiralling display of pure fire directly at his opponent.

Finley didn't even have time to call out a counter, and Bibarel was trapped in a fierce vortex of flames.

The Beaver Pokemon looked around slightly worried, as his skin began to burn from the close proximity of the fire attack, either way he wasn't able to move much.

"Bibarel try getting out of there with Hydro Pump!" Finley called out.

His Pokemon nodded and took back a deep breath before launching a powerful jet of water at the spiralling flames, attempting to douse them and break their hold.

May wasn't going to allow him off so easily "Alright Blaziken, now use Sky Uppercut!".

"Blazi!" Her Pokemon roared, powering up his powerful fist and charging down the field at his struggling opponent.

"Alright May, you got this!" Ash cheered from the stands. He felt Dawn's grip on his hand tighten slightly and knew she was doing her best to fight off her jealousy, he smiled at her encouragingly.

May heard Ash's words and grinned, thankful for the support of her mentor and crush.

Finley had just worked out that the Fire Spin was a distraction move, setting up for Blaziken's Sky Uppercut. He looked on helplessly and his Pokemon was still trying to fight his way out of the fire vortex swirling around him.

Blaziken reached the plump Pokemon just as he was getting free of the attack. Perfect. Smiling the Blaze Pokemon pulled back his arm, then slammed his fist into the chin of his opponent, knocking him up into the air with the sheer force of the blow, and causing him to cry out in pain.

Bibarel landed hard, against the rough battlefield floor, struggling to get to his feet. Being part normal type that attack did some serious damage. "Bibarel are can you continue?" His Trainer asked worriedly.

Before he could respond May decided to clean the match up "Now Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!".

Using his powerful legs, he launched himself skyward. Once at the pinnacle of his jump, he powered up his right foot with powerful fire energy and descended upon the Beaver Pokemon, who was still struggling to his feet. Blaziken smashed into Bibarel's side with his flaming foot, sending the other Pokemon careening backwards, smashing through a boulder and collapsing into a heap on the floor, covering in burn marks and bruises, swirls for eyes.

"Bibarel is unable to continue, this quarter-final round goes to Blaziken and May!" The referee announced raising his flag.

The crowd again erupted in applause and cheers, pumped up from watching another fantastic match. "We did it Blaziken! You where amazing!" May ran over and hugged her starter in joy.

"Another amazing battle in this quarter-final round, it looks like the quality is here to stay folks! You should be prepared for an action packed day!" Don George's voice boomed through the stadium.

"Amazing technique! She used one attack to distract her opponent whilst setting up a follow up to deal serious damage and allowing her to take out her foe without even receiving a hit in retaliation. A refined and well season recipe executed with precision" Cilan complimented, amazed at how May had thoroughly dispatched her opponent.

"That's a top class Coordinator for you" Ash replied. "If Dawn hadn't been up against Tobias, you would have seen similar things from her" he added wistfully.

She squeezed his hand "It's ok, as long as you put him in his place, ill be happy".

Finley, sadly returned his Pokemon "Bibarel return, you deserve a good rest". He walked over and shook May's hand thanking her for the battle, then walked out of the arena.

May returned her starter then followed suit, she was anxious to see her friends again and to see what they thought of her performance. The Coordinator in her ever-present even outside of contests.

She met them in the usual spot and rushed over "So guys what did you think?"

"You where amazing May, that guy didn't stand a chance. Blaziken has gotten a lot stronger since I last saw him, you've done a great job training him!" Ash said, the first to congratulate her.

She tried and failed to hide her blush at his praise, before receiving similar comments from the rest of the group. She thanked them all in turn.

"I must say May, the way Blaziken entered the field and the grace and style with which he used his attacks was a sight to behold" Cilan added after everyone was done congratulating her.

"Well that's from being a Coordinator for so long, my Pokemon have been trained hard to always look their best and execute their moves with style as well as power. If you liked that you should travel outside Unova and see a contest at some point, they are great to watch!" She replied happily.

"I'll certainly make a note to do so, if you and Dawn are anything to go on" his compliments brought a small blush to both girls faces.

"Well, since none of us are up next why don't we enjoy the next match as a full group?" Ash suggested.

They all agreed and made their way back to their seats to watch the upcoming quarter-final match up.

The rest of the tournament went on throughout the afternoon, Cilan was unfortunately knocked out in his round, his Pansage no match for Bianca's Emboar. Tobias had cruised through his match, which Ash sighed at. Watching him smash aside his opponents poor Swampert without a second thought was painful. Unfortunately due to the bracket's Ash wouldn't be facing him until the finals, and whilst Bianca's Emboar was strong, he doubted she would be able to beat Darkrai.

That also meant Ash and May would be facing off tomorrow in the semi-finals.

"Ready for an awesome match tomorrow May?" Ash asked as they where walking back to the Pokemon Center.

"You bet, its been a while since we met under official circumstances, hasn't it? I believe the last time was the Terracotta Contest in Kanto". She smiled and reached into her fanny pack, pulling out half a Ribbon.

Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out his half of the same Ribbon they shared, they put the two halves together and formed the whole. "That was an amazing battle, who would have thought I could have pulled off a draw with the great and powerful Coordinator May Maple?" he joked, earning a playful punch in the arm from the brunette.

"Well you where quite the opponent Mr. Ketchum, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, since you actually used a bit of grace and style rather than your rough and macho battle techniques" she giggled.

"Hey! I used grace and style all the time!" He said, trying to look angry but in the end burst out laughing, knowing she could see right through him.

Dawn was trying her hardest not to feel jealous, she knew they where old friends and where just having a bit of playful banter about old times. But a part in her head kept telling her they were flirting with each other and actually enjoying it. She silenced those thoughts and concentrated on the fact that Ash loved her.

"I miss our old journey's Ash, we had some amazing times" May said sadly, putting away her half of the Ribbon.

"Yeah I know, but we have great memories, and that's the important thing. Besides you and I will always be close friends, so we can always have more crazy adventures in the future!" Ash gave her his famous thumbs up before putting his part of the Ribbon back in his pack.

"I guess your right" she smiled. Truthfully she'd love to travel with him again through Unova. If only this damn Region had contests! She knew Ash and Dawn where a couple so the bluenette had a reason to stay by his side and skip on her contests for a while, she wished she had a similar reason.

The group continued on back to the Pokemon Center, concerned slightly they found nothing of note concerning the nightmare situation but looking forward to a dinner whipped up by Cilan and a nice long rest to prepare for the semi-finals tomorrow.

**Unova Region - Outside Driftveil City**

N was still moving, he kept the Light Stone in a pack over his shoulder. He wouldn't fail Reshiram. The Legendary Pokemon had asked him a favour and he would deliver on his promise.

He reached the city's limit and was greeted by two men in the traditional Team Plasma outfit, once they saw him they stood to attention and saluted briskly. "King N! We're here to escort you to Dragonspiral Tower as you requested".

"I thank you, your devotion is commendable" they both bowed from the praise of their liege lord.

N opened up his Cross-Transceiver, dialing a very familiar number, and two beautiful young women appeared on the screen. "Anthea, Concordia, the Plasma member's have met me at the outskirt's of Driftveil, I thank you both for helping me out here".

They bowed in unison on the screen "It's our pleasure my King, we will await your arrival at Mistralton City" Anthea said before N cut the call off. He would meet up with the Plasma Goddesses soon enough.

"Come, we have no time to waste, Reshiram is counting on me to get him to Dragonspiral Tower" he told the two grunts, who saluted before escorting him safely through the city in the fading sunlight.

He was also being watched closely by three figures, standing close but out of view. The Shadow Triad would make sure he made it, they wouldn't allow anything to get in the way of Ghetsis' plans'...

**Next - Chapter 13 : Clubsplosions Big Finale!**

**And done! Hope you all appreciate this chapter, ive done my best to make it as entertaining as possible to make up for my lackluster last one. Be honest how many of you thought there would be a Lemon here? Dont worry I'll be getting to that soon.**

**I have to mention that here in England its bloody scorching and extremely humid, typing this out today in my room I felt like I was going to melt honestly...**

**Anyhow thanks for reading!**

**Until next time. Peace out.**


	13. Clubsplosion's Big Finale!

**Hello readers, first time ive not been able to get up a daily upload in a while, was out most of Saturday, went to watch Pacific Rim, great film btw, so didnt have as much time to write.**

**This Chapter contains this story's second Lemon scene.**

**Anyhow, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer : I dont own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 13: Clubsplosion's Big Finale!**

**(This starts off a little dirty)**

Ash and the group made their way back to the Pokemon Center, the sun was setting and everyone was ready to recharge for the night.

Zorua giggled mischievously from behind the group. She had been following them for the entire day learning some interesting facts, it's amazing what listening into conversations could gain you. She planned on having a little fun with that later...

After having another amazing Cilan cooked meal, the group headed back into their respective rooms to rest up for the final day of the Clubsplosion.

May walked into her room, she was tired, and decided to have a nice hot shower before slipping into bed. She shrugged off her orange top and black bike shorts, removed her underwear, then turned on the water before stepping in and allowing the heat to remove her stress. She was, as usual thinking of Ash. He was really maturing lately and that made him all the more tempting to her, she felt herself getting slightly aroused and slipped a hand between her legs.

Coming out of the shower, feeling clean and _satisfied_ she dried herself off with a towel and walked back into the main room of her suite. She froze upon entering, eye's going wide and her hands instinctively flew to cover herself up. Laying on her bed, was Ash... naked...

She felt heat rise to her cheeks uncontrollably, and felt blood trickle from her nose. Even so she couldnt help but let her eye's wonder over his body. She fixated on his lower regions and felt herself get wet. "A-Ash! W-hat a-are.. y-ou... doing? D-did... D-Dawn... a-and..." she found her mouth failing her and he just grinned and giggled slightly.

Her mind was racing, did something happen between him and Dawn? Did he leave her for herself? Where they still together and he sneaked out to be with her? That last thought somehow really turned her on and she felt really guilty for it.

Before she could question further, Ash _changed_, being replaced by a grinning black fox Pokemon, devious humour glinting in her eyes. "Sorry but that was too much to resist!" she giggled.

May's face darkened, she didnt think it was funny. Not one bit. With murderous intent she moved towards Zorua.

Seeing the anger in the brunette's eye's Zorua quickly swallowed and ran like hell, disappearing out the window in a blind panic. She would really have to control herself! Her mischief would get her hurt one day...

With the damnable illusion Pokemon gone, May collapsed on her bed and sighed. She kinda hoped it HAD been Ash. Again the thought made her feel guilty, she was friends with Dawn and didnt want to betray her. Although if Ash had been here, naked and willing... she couldnt say she could trust herself not to...

She knew that she needed to rest up for tomorrow's big battles, but seeing Ash, naked, even if it was an illusion, had really turned her on. She decided she could please herself a little more before going to sleep, holding onto his naked image, she inserted a finger into herself and gave in to her desires.

**Lemon Scene**

Ash and Dawn entered their room, followed by Pikachu and Piplup. Stretching her arms Dawn yawned slightly "Im kinda beat, I just wan-"

She was cut off by Ash hugging her from behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and biting her ear lobe slightly. She felt a shiver of pleasure run down her spine, the pain from his love bite adding to the sensation "Remember you said we could continue later..."

His husky voice, deep with desire made her heart beat faster and she felt a blush spreading across her face. She felt his hands move south, and began to slowly massage the area between her legs through her tight denim shorts "Ash..." she moaned.

He slipped one hand under her shorts and inside her panties, before rubbing her already moist slit "You dont seem so beat anymore...".

She grinned and let out a gasp of pleasure as he inserted a couple of finger's inside her and began to thrust them in and out "A-Ash... t-the... bed" she got out between her moans.

Piplup turned to Pikachu "I think they are about to start mating...".

Pikachu sighed and nodded "It would seem so, come on lets go to the bathroom before they yell at us for watching...". They both walked into the bathroom, closing the door and trying to muffle the sounds of their trainer's and friends mating with each other.

Ash and Dawn where completely oblivious to them, making their way to the bed. Flipping her around and giving her a light push, Ash let Dawn fall onto the bed, then removed her denim shorts and leaving her in her increasingly soaked panties. He quickly removed and discarded them, as Dawn spread her legs. He moved his face to her wet lips and began to lavish attention on them with his tongue, lapping up her juices before finding her clit and pleasuring it.

Dawn tried to stop herself from screaming in ecstasy as waves of pleasure coursed through her, she felt Ash stick his tongue inside her and she bucked her hips, wrapping her legs around his neck to hold him in place, she didnt want him to stop. He brought his hands into play, grabbing hold of her clit with one and rubbing it, and using the other to insert a finger to work in unison with his tongue, making sure to thrust in and out with his hand and give her inner walls attention with his mouth.

His ministrations on her private area where driving her insane with pleasure and she felt herself building up to her climax fast, "Ash! Im c-close!".

Hearing her announce she was near, he sped up with his work, earning louder moans from his bluenette girlfriend before feeling her tremble.

"Aaaassh!" She screamed his name and his mouth was flooded with her juices as she exploded. He pulled away licking his face and fingers cleaning them off, enjoying her taste.

Dawn was panting and she looked up at him as he stood up, even though she had just climaxed he saw she still wanted more, and she quickly removed her top and shirt, before unhooking and throwing away her bra, letting her perky breasts free. Ash eagerly copied her actions removing his zipper hoodie and undershirt. Dawn leant forward to unbutton his pants, pulling them and his underwear down in one fluid movement. He stood naked, his toned body shining slightly in the moonlight. The Pokemon necklaces the only pieces of clothing remaining on them.

She quickly backed up onto the bed now her lover from free from his clothing, and laid back as he moved over her. His erect member was pressing against her wet opening teasingly, as he engaged her in a passionate kiss. She found herself subconsciously moving her hips to try and get him inside her.

He noticed her actions and smirked playfully, pulling back from the kiss. Seeing the desire on her features, he teasingly rubbed his manhood against her pussy without entering.

She was now squirming with anticipation, her body aching in need "Ash! Please, I can't take it anymore..." she pleaded.

Feeling she had suffered enough, he positioned himself outside her entrance, and thrust into her. The feeling of their connection sent new waves of pleasure through them both and Dawn let out a moan, loving the fact that Ash was inside her. This inspired him, and he began thrusting in and out at a steady rhythm. She spread her legs before wrapping them around his waist, urging him to go deeper, whilst engaging him in another deep kiss. Moving his hands up, he took a beast in each and began to play with her hard nipples, adding to the pleasure. He could feel her walls start to tighten around him and sped up, as Dawn wrapped her arms around his torso, moving her hips in time with his thrusts.

She let a silent scream into his mouth as she came again, her juices spilling out and dripping down her thigh, pooling on the bed sheets. Ash felt her walls constrict and it added to his pleasure, nearly sending him over the edge, but he forced himself to hold on. Grabbing her legs and moving them to his shoulders, he was in a position to be able to penetrate deeper than before, submerging his entire length into her. Dawn felt him reach deep, sending a new sensation of pleasure through her and she struggled not to moan so loud that everyone in the Center would hear.

Ash began thrusting in and out fast, feeling his climax approaching, from the feel of Dawn's tightness she was getting close to. "Im... almost...there..." he got out between gasps of air.

"Me... too..." she managed to reply.

Thrusting in a few more times, Dawn exploded around him once again and the feeling sent him over the edge and into ecstasy. He filled her up with his load and she quivered in pleasure, having him finish inside her enhanced her orgasm.

Panting, Ash finally pulled out and watched the stream of cum follow him, spilling out of Dawn and pooling with her juices on the sheets. He collapsed next to her, both of them covered in sweat. "That ... was ... amazing..." he finally said.

She could only nod in agreement, trying to recover from her last orgasm and get her breath back. She put her arm around him and rested her head on his chest and they both laid there for a while, naked but for the Pokemon necklaces around their throats. "I love you" she smiled, looking up at him.

They locked gazes, seeing nothing but pure love in the sapphire and auburn pools of emotion. Their bond was so strong that when they connected during love making, their heart, body and soul truly bound together. They were about as close as you could get and the love they felt for each other was absolute. Unbreakable.

"I love you too" he leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips, before she rested her head back down on his toned chest and drifted off to sleep. Ash watched her for a little while, breathing shallowly and glowing, she had a satisfied smile on her face. He gazed at her luxurious blue hair, her soft supple skin, her perfect face, her slim body and perk breasts, and her long silky smooth, luscious legs. On top of that she was the most amazing person he'd ever met. He considered himself the luckiest guy in the world to have her by his side.

Feeling content he let his thoughts clear and sleep claim him.

**Lemon End**

Hearing the moaning and shouting finally stop, Pikachu figured the mating session was over. He called to Piplup who was exploring the shower, and they opened the door slightly, peering into the room cautiously. Ash and Dawn were asleep and holding each other on the bed, naked. "They mated again, I wonder when the egg will come?" He mused to his partner.

Piplup shrugged "I dont know, do humans even lay eggs? Ive never seen one".

"If they dont, where do their young come from?" Pikachu reasoned, to that Piplup had no answer.

They both walked over to a comfy spot in the corner of the room, dodging the clothing scattered on the floor, before curling up and joining their trainer's in sleep.

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

Jessie, James and Meowth where watching from the roof of one of the many houses in the area, as N and two Plasma Grunts where moving quickly but quietly through the sleeping city. They had been following N since they found him crossing the Driftveil Drawbridge. "Seems like he has acquired himself an escort" James mentioned nodding towards the three figures below.

"Yeah, thing's are gettin serious if dat be the case" Meowth replied.

"Whatever they are doing, we'll keep following. As soon as we figure out exactly what it is they are planning, we use it for our own purposes" Jessie smirked, and receiving grins in return from her team mates.

James was about to speak up when he felt a draft of air on the back of his neck, and the unsettling presence of something directly behind him. Before he could so much as blink a knife presented itself against the soft skin of his throat, his companions found the same weapon against their own.

"We dont like spies" spoke three emotionally dead voices, in an eerie unison.

His thoughts as to how they were found without them noticing until the last moment and who exactly these people were, were cut short, as the man behind him brought his other hand over his head and hit him hard in the temple, knocking him out. Jessie and Meowth following suit.

The Shadow Triad stood over the three unconscious forms of Team Rocket, the one in the middle opened up his communication "Lord Ghetsis, we have three agents from Team Rocket, they where following N".

Ghetsis' rough voice became audible through the speaker in his ear "Bring them back to the castle, I think we can find a 'use' for them". The line was cut off, and the Triad member relayed the order to his two brothers.

Grabbing the unconscious forms, the six of them disappeared from view.

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

Ash and Dawn awoke the next morning, feeling satisfied and rejuvenated. Giving each other a good morning kiss, they shared a shower before getting dressed. "If I feel this good every morning after, I think we should make this a regular occurence" Dawn giggled, putting on a clean pair of panties.

"No complaints from me" Ash replied, grinning.

Dawn finished putting on her clothing, then stood in front of a mirror to fix her hair into a ponytail. She noticed how much it shined and how her skin was glowing, '_Sex really is a beneficial activity'_ she thought, admiring how well she looked. Finally getting her ponytail to look the way she wanted, she placed her cap on to finish her look.

Ash was busy rousing their starter's who where still sleeping, "Come on you two, time to get up" he prodded them slightly. Pikachu raised one eyelid and looked at him groggily "Pika pi?" He asked stifling a yawn.

"It's mid morning buddy, we're gonna get some breakfast" Ash replied. Pikachu was not so amused, and neither was Piplup, they had been up half the night listening to sex sounds from their trainer's and lost a lot of sleep because of it. But they reluctantly got up, feeling more hungry than tired.

Dawn turned around to see Ash already ready and waiting, even HIS unruly raven hair seemed to shine slightly. "Come on let's go!" She took his hand in her own, and they left to join their friends in the cafeteria.

Meeting up with the group and eating a usual tasty Pokemon Center breakfast, the group hastily made their way to the Clubsplosion, eager to get to on with today's big events.

The sun was getting high, and the air hot as they made it to the stadium. Large crowds of people had already gathered to see the big finale of the tournament and they had to make their way through the thick mass of bodies.

Finally in the entrance hall Ash, May, and Bianca all prepared for their big matches. "Well our battle starts in an hour May, hope your ready for an amazing fight!" Ash said, turning to face the brunette.

She grinned back at him, pumping up her first "You bet Ash! And no matter who makes it through to the final, we will still have each others back!".

He pumped out his own fist, grasping her hand "Of course May, you know that's always been the case!" He pulled her into a hug, causing her cheeks to heat up. It was a little hard not to feel flustered when you had seen an image of the person hugging you, _naked_. Especially if you imagined them after doing things to you whilst pleasing yourself afterward...

They pulled apart, May quickly looking away to hide her blush.

Ash glanced at the screen above them, seeing the two semi-final matches taking place this morning. His and May's and Bianca and Tobias's. He frowned slightly at that second match up, and turned to the blonde "Give him everything you've got Bianca, because he sure as hell will. Dont let up for a minute, he will most likely underestimate you but with Emboar being part fighting type, you have a real chance to inflict serious damage".

Bianca nodded fast, he could see from the way she was standing that she was nervous about facing him. He couldnt blame her, Tobias was an intimidating opponent, with his Legendary Pokemon and unnerving calm demeanor "I will Ash! You can count on me!".

"Hey, no need to worry! His Darkrai is strong but it's not unbeatable, I took it out in the Sinnoh League semi-finals!" He left out the part that it took four of his Pokemon to do so, she needed to believe in herself.

"Ash is right! He beat Darkrai, so that means you can to!" Dawn added, smiling hopefully at the other girl.

"Yeah, I watched it happen with my own eyes, you got nothing to worry about Bianca!" finished Barry, giving her a thumbs up.

A steely confidence replaced the nerves and Bianca nodded firmly "Thanks guys! Your right, I can do this!".

Everyone gave her a cheer, and the group started getting ready for Ash and May's match. "Dawn, take my other Pokeballs up to the stands, they will probably want to see the battle too" Ash handed over Gabite and Snivy. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and onto Dawn's.

"Pikachu pi pika pi!" He gave Ash a thumbs up.

"Thanks Pikachu, cheer us all the way to the finals!" He received his good luck kiss from the bluenette before making his way down towards the arena waiting area.

"Good luck Ash! Ill be cheering from the stands!" Dawn called out after him before joining the rest of their friends. May had already left to her waiting room. "Well lets get to our seats, the battle will be starting soon" the bluenette said as she joined them.

Nodding the group entered the arena stands, and into the cacophony of noise filling the stadium. It was literally swamped with people and Dawn thanked Arceus they had front row seats. As they got sat down she enlarged Ash's Pokeballs and opened them up, letting out Snivy and Gabite. They looked around slightly confused.

"Vy snivy-vy?" The Grass Snake Pokemon questioned, wanting to know why they were here.

Dawn turned to Pikachu on her shoulder "Can you take this one?" He nodded and jumped down to explain things to his team mates.

Sat in the trainer's room, Ash was going over a few things in his mind. He was 90% sure he knew the cause of the mass nightmare's a couple nights ago, but he wouldnt know for certain until the final later this evening. If it turned out to be indeed true it brought a scarier question to mind. Why? He dreaded finding out _that_ answer. Hearing the call for the match to start, he grabbed Cresselia's Pokeball from his belt and walked through the doors.

He entered the arena floor, seeing May do so from the other side and heard to the crowd going wild. There were a lot more people here than the quarter-finals, he guess around ten thousand bodies were lending their voices to the cheering. He looked up to see the large screen above the commentator's desk, his and May's portraits were there, each taking up a side.

Don George's bellowing voice boomed through the speakers "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to today's first semi-final match!" The crowd answered with even louder shouts. "From the left side we have the Kanto Battle Frontier Champion, Ash Ketchum, and his stunning Cresselia!"

Ash waved as people started chanting his name, he had to admit it was nice to be the centre of attention every now and then.

"And from the right we have the Princess of Hoenn herself! May Maple and her partner Blaziken!" He continued. She waved and smiled when they chanted her name in turn.

"These two are fantastic trainer's, there's no doubt, so im looking forward to seeing a great battle between them to crown our first finalist!" The crowd let out one last round of cheers before the referee came forward to take his spot in the middle of the field.

"This semi-final match will be a one on one battle with no time limit. Trainer's send out your Pokemon".

May grabbed her Pokeball, enlarged it then launched it skyward "Blaziken! Take the stage!" The ball snapped open above her and Blaziken materialized in flash of white light, gracefully appearing in front of his trainer.

"Blazi-ken!" He took up a fighting stance and crossed his arms in preparation.

Ash smiled, already having the Pokeball in hand, he threw it towards the field "Cresselia! I choose you!" The ball span rapidly before snapping open and releasing the Lunar Pokemon onto his side of the arena. She cooed and fixed her gaze on her opponent.

Chancing a quick glance up at the stands, he saw all his Pokemon cheering for him, as well as Dawn and all his friends. He had to laugh slightly at Snivy, Piplup and Pikachu, doing their little dance.

"This semi-final match between Cresselia and Blaziken will now, begin!" The referee threw down his arms and signalled for the battle to start.

May was not planning on wasting any time "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!".

"Blazi!" He used his powerful legs to launch him into the air, reaching the pinnacle of his jump, he thrust his right leg out, powering up his foot with pure fire energy, before descending rapidly at Cresselia.

"Wait for him to close in, then dodge, charge up a Psychic whilst dodging to carry Blaziken's momentum and slam him into the floor" Ash quickly commanded.

Cresselia processed the string of commands and cooed, fixing her gaze on her foe and powering up the psychic energy within herself. Just before his attack was about to land, she moved to the side, eyes flaring a bright blue. The blue aura took hold of Blaziken, adding a burst of speed to his fall. He had enough time to blink in surprise before being rammed into the floor with incredible force. A cloud of dust shot up from the impact.

May gasped, she didnt know Ash could come up with deadly counter's like that so fast. '_When did he get so quick?'_ She asked herself, sure she knew he could come up with amazing strategies on the fly, but it usually took him a little bit of time to work them out. Now it seemed they instantly came to him. This was going to be hard.

Blaziken felt intense pain shoot up his leg, which had taken the brunt of the force from his fall. He groggily picked himself out of the crater he'd made when he heard May's next command. "Blaziken, use Fire Blast!"

She hoped he was still conscious after such a blow, it surely would of taken a lot out of him and she needed to even things up, fast. She grinned seeing the bright flash of orange in the dust cloud before a five pronged burst of fire burst forth and struck the surprised Cresselia head on.

The Legendary grunted slightly in pain and Ash growled slightly, he hadn't expected Blaziken to recover so fast. "Cresselia, use Psycho-Cut!"

She shook off the pain and powered up the crescent shaped blast of psychic energy and launched it towards her opponent who was now visible through the dissipating dust cloud.

"Dodge and then use Fire Spin!" May countered quickly.

Narrowly avoiding the powerful Psycho-Cut he opened his mouth, releasing the built up energy and launching a spiralling torrent of fire at his foe. It whirled through the air, finding Cresselia and enveloping her in a tornado of flames.

May was about to follow it up when she noticed Ash smiling. Why was he smiling? She had his Pokemon trapped, Legendary or not, it would still take a lot of damage from either the Fire Spin or her follow up. Frowning she continued, keeping a wary eye on him "Now Blaziken! Sky Uppercut!"

"Blaziken!" He pulled back his fist and charged it up with power, then using his long muscular legs powered himself across the field in a bounding run.

Ash's smile widened as he gave his next order "Use Psychic to channel the flames around you, then combine them with a Psybeam!"

Cresselia cooed and her body radiated an intense blue glow, before it enveloped the spiralling fire around her. She used her immense mental strength to condense the fire down to a blazing sphere in front of her mouth, whilst charging up a powerful Psybeam. Having both ready she _fused_ the fire into the psychic energy, then, with a cry of immense effort, fired the beam at the charging Blaze Pokemon.

May gaped at the display of power before her. She desperately called out to her Pokemon, trying to get it out of the way "Blaziken! Dodge!".

Her starter's charge faltered as he desperately tried to avoid the incoming attack, but moved too slow. The combination beam slammed into his side and sent him racing through the air with a loud grunt of agony. The psychic attack coursed through his body wracking him with pain and the added fire singed his feather's. He slammed hard into a nearby boulder, smashing through it and then colliding with the arena wall, leaving an imprint of himself in the metal, swirls for eyes.

"Blaziken is unable to battle, and the first trainer advancing to the finals is Ash Ketchum!" The referee announced throwing up his flag. Ash's portrait on the screen knocked down May's and the words 'Winner' appeared above him.

The crowd roared in cheers and shouts, some even chanting "_Ash! Ash! Ash!_".

May hurried over to her Pokemon "Blaziken! Are you ok?" She asked worriedly as she reached him.

He got up on shaky legs and nodded wearily, letting out a small sigh she held up his Pokeball "You did an amazing job, take a nice long rest, ill get you healed up soon". She pressed the return button and he went back inside his home in a beam of red energy.

Ash glanced over to make sure Blaziken was ok, before turning to his own Pokemon "You did an amazing job Cresselia! Im proud of you. Now lets get you back to the Pokemon Center to rest up for today's final". She cooed back in appreciation and returned to her ball.

He put her back on his belt and went over to his friend. "Great battle May, Blaziken put up an awesome fight! I had to really think outside the box to secure my victory" he stuck his hand out and smiled at her.

She took it and returned the smile "That last attack was amazing! Ill have to remember it for my next contest! Now you go kick Tobias' ass in the finals!".

Ash laughed and she joined in, as Don George's thunderous voice filled everyone's ears.

"An explosive semi-final match to start us off! What an amazing battle from two top tier trainer's, and great sportsmanship at the end to finish it off! Im sure your all as eager as I am to see our second semi-final in an hour's time!" The crowd roared their consent as Ash and May exited the field on their respective sides.

They met up in their usual spot behind the stands, and after prying Dawn off him, Ash was congratulated on his win, whilst May was consolidated on her loss.

"Pika pika!" Ash's long time friend jumped up onto his shoulder, nuzzling him in his own congratulations. "Hey buddy, thanks for your support! You too guys, it meant a lot seeing you up there!" He said to Snivy, Piplup and Gabite who where stood in front of him.

"Snivy-vy vy snivy" his small grass type said to him with a proud smile on her face.

"Ga-bite" the dragon type nodded, pleased with the praise.

"Pip piplup pip!" Dawn's small penguin Pokemon thumped his chest proudly.

"You both had an amazing battle to behold, the exquisite flavor of old friends, the spice of familiarity and the seasoning of experience made it quite the recipe!" Cilan exclaimed, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself watching their match.

"Cilan..." Iris sweatdropped.

"Im just going to drop Cresselia off at the Pokemon Center, she needs to be all healed up for the final's this afternoon, ill be back before your match starts Bianca!" Ash announced before taking his Pokeballs off his lover and returning his Pokemon, then took his leave.

"Wait Ash, ill come with you, Blaziken needs healing too" May called out and went after him. He waited for her to catch up and they both disappeared into the crowd.

Dawn wasn't entirely happy Ash would be alone with a girl who was crushing on him, but remembered last night, it tempered her jealousy somewhat.

"Well Bianca, you psyched up for your match!?" Barry asked, grinning like an idiot.

"You bet, ill put Tobias in his place and fight Ash in the finals!" She was a lot more confident in her ability to win knowing Ash beat his Darkrai in the Sinnoh League.

In the shadow's of the hallway they were in, Tobias was listening intently, he grinned upon hearing the ditzy blonde's confidence. Did she really think she had even the slightest chance just because of a type advantage? He would be sure to show her the erroneous ways of her thinking. He then let the shadow's cloak him and left.

Ash and May were walking side by side down through the endless corridors towards the Clubsplosions Pokemon Center. They passed many different people on the way, either buying snacks or souvenirs. Some ran passed, headed for the bathroom, hoping to get back in time and not miss the second semi-final match.

After a while of walking in a comfortable silence, May spoke up. Her voice was shaky and slightly thick with emotion, and Ash knew immediately what she was about to ask.

"So... have you... given any thought... about my... question?" She asked him finally, looking to face him. He sighed inwardly, seeing the desperate hope and longing in her cerulean eye's. He hated being in this position.

"I have" he replied after a while.

She could feel her heart pounding so hard she thought it would break out of her chest. Deep down she knew what his answer would be, but she hung on to that tiny sliver of hope. That's all she could do.

Ash sighed heavily "Im sorry May, but I love Dawn. I have to confess that if you had asked me during our trip through Hoenn my answer would have probably been yes, even though I was focused on my Pokemon and training, and didnt mind that you got close with Drew, I still liked you".

May knew this would be his response, but it didnt stop her heart from breaking. It's not easy when the person you love rejects your feelings. A single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Reaching over, Ash wiped it away with his hand and embraced her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, letting him comfort her like he did so many times in the past.

After standing in the middle of the corridor for about five minutes just hugging, and gaining a few curious glances from passersby, they finally broke apart. Ash gave her his most loving and comforting smile and she smiled back. "No matter what May, you'll always be one of my closest friends and id still do anything for you".

"Thank you Ash, that means a lot. Dawn is a lucky girl" she replied genuinely, before he took her hand and squeezed it tightly and continued to hold it as they made their way towards the Pokemon Center. He wanted her to feel better and keeping her hand in his was a good way to do it.

May blushed slightly, despite their conversation, enjoying the comforting effect holding his hand had. She thought about one of the things he said, that had honestly surprised her. "Did you really like me that way during our travels?".

He kept his gaze forward but nodded slowly "Yeah I did, I didnt really know what I was feeling at first, and when I did, I just figured you were all into Drew so I ignored it. Besides I had all my Pokemon to train and battles to win. I dont blame you for not noticing".

She nodded sadly "Truth be told I liked you back then too".

This time it was Ash who was surprised "Really? Didnt you like Drew? You always used to blush when he gave you flowers".

"Well I was fourteen Ash, you give a girl that age a bouquet of roses and she will blush" she replied.

"Oh, I never told you how I felt because when I saw that I always assumed you liked him" he admitted.

May was silently kicking herself again, if only she had known about Ash's feelings back then... things would of turned out so different.

They continued the rest of the way to the Pokemon Center in silence, still holding each other's hand. When they finally got there they were greeted by the friendly face of a Nurse Joy. "Hello you two, can I help you?".

"Yeah I need my Cresselia healed up and ready to go for today's final" Ash handed her the Pokeball.

"Oh your Ash Ketchum? Congratulations on making it to the finals, ill have Cresselia ready in time" she nodded towards May "Does you girlfriend need a Pokemon treated also?".

They both went bright red and let go of each other's hand "Uh...s-she's just my friend". He stammered trying to control his blush.

May quickly handed over her Blaziken and they awkwardly made their way back towards their friends.

They finally got back and took their seats, Bianca and Tobias' match was just about to start. They received a few curious glances, everyone wondering what had caused the awkward tension between them but shrugged it off as the match started up.

Dawn was pretty sure she knew why. She assumed Ash had finally told May that he wasn't interested. She was silently glad that they could all move past this. She snuggled up to her lover as Don George's voice once again sounded out of the speakers.

"Welcome back to our second and last semi-final round!" Again everyone cheered, the sound was almost deafening. "This first semi-final round was a spectacular display of Pokemon Battling and we have high hopes for our next set of trainer's, so lets get the next match underway!".

Ash looked up, seeing Bianca's smiling and Tobias's cloaked face's on the large screen above the arena, before turning his attention back to the field below, his gaze fixated intently upon his Sinnoh League opponent.

The referee took his usual spot in the middle of the field "This semi-final match will be a one on one battle with no time limit, trainer's send out your Pokemon".

Bianca stuck her tongue out, grabbed her Pokeball, enlarged it, before swinging it around in a baseball pitching manner and launching it towards the field "Emboar, lets goooooo!"

The ball snapped open, the white light within pouring out and taking the shape of her huge fire and fighting type. He stood facing Tobias, gouts of flame flaring from his nostrils. "Boar" he scoffed.

Tobias didnt even give the large Pokemon a second glance, just reached down, took hold of Darkrai's Pokeball and lobbed it casually onto the battlefield, not even bothering to mutter a word.

His Pokeball snapped open and released his powerful dark type Legendary. Darkrai floated infront of it's trainer and grunted to announce it's presence.

The referee raised both his flags "This semi-final round between Emboar and Darkrai will now, begin!" Dropping both his arms to his sides and starting the battle.

Bianca narrowed her eye's in concentration, looking to start off with an early lead "Emboar use Flamethrower!".

"Em-boar!" Shouting his name, he took in a large gulp of air and used it to fuel his attack, before exploding the flames out of his nostrils.

"Darkrai use Dark Pulse" Tobias commanded calmly.

Grunting acknowledgement the Legendary powered up a sphere of dark energy, outlined with a purple aura, in it's hands before unleashing it. Twin chain-like beams of darkness short forth, meeting the Flamethrower in the middle of the arena and fighting for dominance. Eventually the inevitable happened and the Dark Pulse overpowered the Flamethrower, and proceeded to connect with Emboar's face.

Bianca's Mega Fire Pig Pokemon roared in pain and staggered back a step, his hands moving protectively to his snout. "Emboar, stay with me!"

Hearing his trainer through his agony, he steadied himself. Then focused, his beard of flames flaring up. "Alright Emboar use Arm Thrust!" Bianca ordered next.

Her starter nodded, and charged at his foe, building up speed as he went. He raised his arm as he neared letting it glow with power.

"Use Dark Void" Tobias countered casually.

"Dodge Emboar, and continue your attack!" Bianca shouted from her side of the field.

Emboar kept charging, his eye's watching every movement of Darkrai. The Legendary dark type surrounded itself in a black void, limned with a purple glow, before sending it towards the approaching Mega Pig Pokemon. Seeing his moment, Emboar turned and avoided the attack before swinging around and building up as much power in his arm as he could.

"EMBOOOOOOOOAR!" He bellowed, bringing down his arm, full power, and connecting with a very surprised Darkrai's head, sending it hurtling towards the ground. A cloud of dust and rock shards exploded from the impact.

"Yeah! You got this Bianca!" Barry yelled from the stands.

"Great job Bianca! Keep it up!" Iris joined in.

"That was a very powerful super-effective move. Even Darkrai would have to feel pain from it" Cilan mused.

"Put him in his place Bianca!" Dawn shouted.

"Pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu cheered from his perch on the bar.

"Piiiiipluuup pip!" Dawn's starter added.

Ash was watching Tobias closely. For the first time since running into him in Unova, his calm facade cracked. He could see doubt, anger, surprise and frustration on his face.

Snarling at the affront from such a pathetic trainer, Tobias lost his cool, calm demeanor and pointed towards Emboar "Darkrai use Dark Void!".

Darkrai floated up from the crater on the floor, hurting, bruised and very angry. Everyone in the audience gasped, not expecting it to get up so soon. It's body again took on the dark sphere of energy but this time it built much faster, and it shot it towards the startled Emboar before he could react. The Mega Pig Pokemon became enveloped in the black abyss, then collapsed to the floor, fast asleep.

"Now use Dream Eater!" Tobias roared.

An apparition of Darkrai flew out, towards, and through Emboar, causing Bianca's starter to sequel in pain, even in his sleep. His eye's where moving rapidly underneath his lids, fear plain on his face.

The apparition came back to Darkrai and healed it from the damage it had taken. It grunted in satisfaction as it's bruises dissipated from it's form.

"Emboar, wake up!" Bianca shouted in vain. It was no use, Emboar was still under the effects of Dark Void.

Tobias grinned without humour and decided to finish it, he'd done toying with this stupid blonde and her useless Pokemon. "Now Dark Pulse, full power!".

Grunting in effort, Darkrai built up the dark energy within it's hands, adding twice the power than it normally would. The sphere quickly grew huge and it channeled it into two extremely powerful chain-like beams. They shot forth, snaking their way through the air towards the helpless Mega Pig Pokemon. They found their target and connected harshly. Emboar's agonising cry could be heard over the explosion that followed the attack, and everyone winced. Bianca looked on worried, tear's streaming down her face.

Ash growled angrily "That was borderline lethal! Tobias shouldn't of use that much force on a defenceless target!" He wanted nothing more than to run down into the arena and punch the older man's face into a bloody ruin. His hands flared blue, Aura lending him strength.

"I agree, a most dishonorable and dangerous move! A recipe that disregards a Pokemon's health and safety has a nasty outcome!" Cilan ground out between clenched teeth, as a Gym Leader, he was taught to never just do what Tobias had just done. If he had done that within his Gym, he would of kicked him out immediately.

"I hope Emboar is ok..." Iris added worriedly.

The dust started to clear and everyone looked on with bated breath. Emboar was laid in the centre of a crater, swirls for eyes and scorched throughly from the attack. His skin was bruised and bleeding in places and he looked like he wouldn't be in a battle again for quite some time.

Bianca ran over to her Pokemon, crying. He was her first partner and she didnt want to see him in such pain! "Emboar! Please be ok!" She sobbed as she sank to her knees, next to her fallen friend.

He lifted his head and looked at her, his every movement a struggle, he gave her a pained smile before fainting again.

The judges looked down at Emboar, trying to decide wether or not to disqualify Tobias for his reckless attack. They deemed that Bianca's Pokemon wasn't in a critical condition so he could be legally declared the winner. He didnt break the rules, albeit barely.

"R-Return" Bianca managed between her sobs, recalling her fallen friend to his ball.

Tobias returned his Legendary to it's Pokeball and looked down at Bianca, crying over her fallen Pokemon, and he spat on the ground in disgust. Pathetic, weak, she deserved that for daring to stand against him, for daring to hurt his Darkrai... giving her one final glare, he turned and left the arena. Being booed from the crowd.

Barry was restrained by Ash and Dawn as he was nearly throwing himself over the barrier to try and kill Tobias "He's not worth it Barry! You need to calm down!" Dawn shouted in his ear, trying to reason with the hyperactive trainer. Ash kept quiet, barely able to keep his own anger in check, his eyes flaring blue with power.

Barry didnt care, he wanted to put his hands around Tobias' throat and squeeze until he stopped breathing. Bianca was one of the sweetest people you could meet and what he did to her was unforgivable. Finally giving in to their unshakable hold, he sat back down, face red with rage.

Bianca ran off the field, tear's following in her wake as she left the arena floor. The group of friends rushed back to meet her behind the stands, wanting to make sure she would be ok.

She came running through and was immediately embraced by her friends, reassuring her and trying to cheer her up.

Ash was stood to the side, face dark with anger. '_How could he be so cold? This is low even for him, and now he's hurt one of my friends. He wont get away with this anymore'_ with that thought he turned to the group. "Ill stop Tobias, he's become a lot worse than the Sinnoh League. He's now causing pain for people and Pokemon and I. WILL . NOT. TOLERATE. IT!" His hands flared blue and his entire body radiated extreme power, his eyes almost too bright to look upon.

Everyone stopped what they where doing to look at their friend. They had never heard Ash talk with such anger, with such power behind his voice before. They all backed off slightly, more than a little scared, they certainly didnt want to be on his bad side when he was like this.

Dawn steadily walked up to him "Ash? You need to calm down sweetie, your scaring your friends" she said with a calmness she didnt feel. She had never known Ash get like this and was relying on her bond with him to bring down his anger.

He turned his gaze upon her, and upon registering her face, the Aura dissipated and his anger left him. Looking upon the terrified faces of his friends and companions he felt a pang of guilt "Sorry guys, I didnt mean to scare you. What Tobias did..." he felt his Aura flare up slightly as he relived what he'd just seen. Quickly banishing those thought's, he tried to remain calm.

"We know Ash, and we also know you'll beat him in the finals" Dawn took his hand and squeezed it, looking at him with a loving smile.

That smile brought forth a smile of his own and he let the love they shared fill him and wash away the hatred, he wouldnt become like Tobias.

"Well come on Bianca, let's go get Emboar some treatment. Ash we can pick up our Pokemon too" May motioned in the direction of the Pokemon Center and they all nodded, following her lead.

"It seems your Aura is growing in strength Ash, and it responds to your emotions. Do you think your able to control it?" Cilan asked him as they walked towards the Center.

"Im not sure, I hope so. Usually when it flares up, my emotions are ruling my actions and im not really thinking about it. It just sort of comes naturally I guess" he replied.

"I see, well when you get the time, you should try working on trying to command it at will. The fact that you have it at all is astounding" Cilan finished.

Ash nodded and thought about it, maybe he would try and learn to master his Aura.

They reached the on-site Pokemon Center and Bianca handed over her Emboar for him to receive immediate healing, stressing the need to Nurse Joy. She nodded and took the Pokeball to the back immediately. After taking care of that request, she brought back with her Ash and May's Pokemon, fully healed and ready to go. They gratefully took them back and thanked her.

"Well we have some time before Ash's final match this afternoon, I suggest we have we go get ourselves a decent lunch to give us the needed fuel for later" Cilan spoke up and they all agreed. Ash especially, which no one was particularly surprised about. They made their way to the food area and sat down to eat.

Later that afternoon, Ash found himself with Dawn in the trainer's room, waiting for his final round match against Tobias. The rest of them had already given him their support and had taken to the stands. Dawn had insisted she be able to come with him, wanting to stay at his side until he had to go out into the arena. "You'll do great Ash, remember you have me and all your friends behind you, no matter what" she smiled at him holding his hand.

"And that's what'll make all the difference. Tobias has no one, he doesnt understand" Ash shook his head. "Im lucky to have you" he brought her into a kiss and wrapped his arms around her small waist.

She instinctively put hers around his neck, deepening the kiss, and soon their tongues where in play, entering each other's mouths. They were brought apart by the call for Ash to enter the arena. The final's where about to start.

"Im the lucky one" she said gazing into his eye's."I've gotta get back to the stands, wouldnt wanna miss you crush him. Good luck sweetie". Giving him one last, chaste kiss on the lips,and taking Snivy and Gabite with her again, she left the room. Ash stood and steadied himself, then made his entrance into the stadium to face Tobias in battle for the second time.

Dawn hurried herself through the throngs of people cluttering the hallways, knocking people aside in her mad rush to get back in time to her seat to see the entire battle. She wanted to be there to show her support the entire way, Ash deserved no less. Finally making it back to the stands, panting, she looked up to see Ash take his spot on his side of the field, thankful she didnt miss anything she sank into her seat and began catching her breath back.

"Welcome everyone to todays final match and the final match of the Clubsplosion!" Don George bellowed into his mic "This year's tournament has been one of the best yet and we've seen all kinds of amazing and fantastic trainer's battle it out to claim the number one spot and take home the coveted Clubsplosion Champion's Trophy". He held up a large golden arm, with bulging muscles and a clenched fist, it was stood on an ornate wooden stand.

"Out of all the fine people that entered this year, we have our final two. Both of them have shown their skill and prowess in battle to have made it this far and we should be in for quite a finale!" Everyone roared in excitement, although the focus of their cheers was aimed towards Ash. Fortunately for his opponent, Tobias didnt seem to care. "Now let's start the event you've all been waiting for! Let the finals begin!" Again his words were followed by a cacophony of cheers from the audience.

Dawn had let out Buneary and Pachirisu to help cheer with Pikachu, Snivy and Gabite. All of the Pokemon, minus the latter, were on the bar cheering for Ash. Gabite did his part standing up. Buneary had donned her cheerleading outfit and pom pom's. If she hadn't left hers at home in her rush to go find Ash, Dawn would be wearing her's aswell.

The referee took his spot in the centre of the field "This final match will be a one on one battle with no time limit, trainer's present your Pokemon".

Ash took the lead and threw his Pokeball out first. "Cresselia! I choose you!" The Lunar Pokemon appeared in a flash of light, her trail of shining star dust glittering in the air around her. She cooed and took up her position in front of her trainer.

"Darkrai, let's end this!" Tobias threw his Pokeball into the sky and it snapped open, spilling out his half of the Lunar Duo. Darkrai made his way down to the field and grunted, taking his spot in front of his trainer.

The two Legendaries locked glares, instantly recognising each other, the ancient rivals itching for the fight to start.

The referee brought up his flags "The final round match between Cresselia and Darkrai will now, begin!" He threw down his arms and started the match.

Tobias smirked from his side of the field "You've already lost Ash, your Cresselia is a psychic type, my Darkrai is a dark type. Her main moves can't even hurt him".

Ash grinned back, he knew something special about these two Pokemon that his opponent clearly did not. "Cresselia, use Psybeam!"

Cresselia cooed and grinned, building up a powerful amount of energy in her mouth, before channelling it into a concentrated beam, then shot it directly at her rival.

Tobias raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was he trying to do? Psybeam would have no effect whatsoever on Darkrai...

Darkrai himself glanced back at his trainer, anxiously waiting for a command as the Psybeam shot towards him. When he didnt get one he stood there and awaited the pain that would follow.

Psybeam connected with Darkrai, hitting him square in the chest and sending excruciating pain through his body. He cried out in agony as the psychic power coursed through him.

Tobias' eye's widened in shock and utter disbelief. He looked across to Ash searching for answer's "But... how?".

Grinning Ash decided to enlighten his dumbstruck opponent "Cresselia and Darkrai are special, being rivals for thousands of years has hardened them to each other. They've become so used to fighting the other, that Cresselia's psychic attacks actually harm Darkrai. Also Darkrai's dark type moves are not super effective against her. If not the Lunar Duo would be incredibly unbalanced".

Growling in frustration Tobias narrowed his eye's. He'd just lost two major advantages that would of made this fight a walk in the park. He wasn't expecting this turns of events, damn it! Clenching his teeth he finally fought back "Darkrai use Dark Void!".

"Counter with Psycho-Cut!" Ash quickly commanded.

Darkrai surrounded himself with a dark sphere trimmed with a purple glow, letting it reach a certain size before launching it at his rival.

Cresselia powered up the crescent shaped blast of psychic energy and powered it towards the incoming attack.

Psycho-Cut met Dark Void in the centre of the field. The psychic attack slicing through the middle of the sphere and they cancelled each other out.

"Now use Psychic!" Ash told his Legendary.

Wasting no time Cresselia limned herself with a blue aura of power, her eye's flashed when she sent forth the powerful mental blast towards the dark type.

"Darkrai use Dark Pulse!" Tobias countered.

Quickly powering up the darkness around his hands, he shot forth the twin chains of dark energy, directly at the incoming mental attack from Cresselia. Both attack's met in the centre of the arena and struggled for dominance, neither side giving an inch.

"Come on Ash! We believe in you Cresselia! Smash Darkrai into the ground!" Dawn cheered from the side, the Pokemon in front of her adding their voices to her call.

"She's right Cresselia, I believe in you and so do all of our friends, you can do this!" Ash encouraged his Pokemon, pouring all his determination and belief into his voice.

Hearing the powerful words of support from her new family, Cresselia dug deep down and drew out the power from deep within, adding to the formidable power already being focused into her attack. Roaring with monumental strain she poured the extra power into her attack, doubling its strength.

Psychic overpowered Dark Pulse, continuing straight through to its target, bringing the dark attack with it. Darkrai could only gasp as two super strong attack smashed into it's body, sending it flying back and smashing against the wall of the arena. Pain the likes of which it had never felt before tore through it and it howled in agony.

Tobias didnt know what just happened. His Darkrai was overpowered? It shouldnt of been possible...

"End it with Psycho-Cut! Maximum power!" Ash shouted.

Cresselia nodded and poured all her strength into the move. The energy built between her claws, becoming more intense with every second. When a massive amount had been gathered she shaped it into the crescent shape and thrust it towards her foe with all her might.

"Darkrai, quick use Dark Pulse!" Tobias cried out in panic, he wasn't used to being on the receiving end of this sort of situation.

Darkrai slowly forced itself off the floor next to the barrier where it had collapsed, and fired off a desperate Dark Pulse.

The super powered psychic blade cut through the dark chains like paper and slammed into Darkrai. A blinding explosion followed, sending massive shock waves of power outwards. Everyone shielded their eyes from the light, Tobias was knocked off his feet from the blast and Ash had a hard time trying to keep standing. Taking the attack, full blast in the chest, sent Darkrai _through_ the metal barrier and underneath the stands, completely knocked out and leaving swirls for it's eyes. It was barely breathing.

The referee came running over to the hole now in the metal wall, and peered through to see the crumpled form of Darkrai. He immediately lifted his flag "Darkrai is unable to battle, which means the winner of this round and the Clubsplosion tournament goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Cresselia!".

Everyone was silent for a moment in utter shock at what they had just witnessed. Then cheers boomed forth from every throat as the confetti cannons unleashed their load onto the stadium, followed by the launching of fireworks.

Ash stood there for a second then it sank in '_We did it!'_ He laughed with joy and ran over to his Legendary, hugging her tightly. "You did an amazing job Cresselia, im so proud of you!".

She cooed and nuzzled his face with affection, before Ash stood and simply embraced the applause lauded upon him by the thousands upon thousands of people in the stadium. Chants of _Ash! Ash! Ash! _filled the air along with whistles, cheers and clapping. He glanced over to his friends and saw them all on their feet, waving like crazy, big smiles on their faces. He grinned and waved back, but noticed Dawn was missing. He wondered where she had run off to.

His question was answered moments later as she came running out from his entrance tunnel and jumped on him, giving him a loving hug, before engaging him in a passionate kiss. A loud chorus of 'Aww's' could be heard from the stands, along with the pouts of a few jealous females. Ash picked her up and spun her around once before dropping her back down, earning a playful giggle from the bluenette. "I knew you could do it Ash! You put Tobias in his place fair and square, and you looked so hot doing it!" He blushed and she giggled again before hanging off his arm as Don George spoke up.

"What an amazing final round! Two strong Legendary Pokemon going head to head for title of Champion, and in the end it was the team of Ash Ketchum and his stunning Cresselia that took the win!" The cheer's increased in volume, almost deafening Ash, even down on the battlefield.

Tobias was on his knee's, staring at nothing, unable to comprehend what had just happened to him. His Darkrai was still laid out under the stands, but he wasnt even aware of that. The only thing going through his mind was that he had somehow lost the battle.

Ash saw him, and with Dawn in tow, walked over to the now broken man. He stood directly in front of him and Tobias lifted his head to look him in the eye. Trying to force his anger down, Ash spoke up "You were the one responsible for causing the nightmare's a couple of night's ago weren't you?" .

Tobias dumbly nodded, not braking eye contact, even for a second.

"Why? Why would you do that? For some sick pleasure? Did it amuse you to see everyone suffer so?" Ash said through clenched teeth, Dawn squeezed his hand tightly.

Finally finding some of his wits, he wiped away a stray strand of long blue hair and replied. "It wasn't for any of those reasons why I did it. I was under strict order's to test the new weapons, and they where a... success".

Ash was confused now, and pressed for more information "Who? Who ordered you to do this? Who are you working for?".

Tobias shook his head sadly "Im afraid I can't tell you _his _name without forfeiting my own life" he sighed "I can show you this though" he lifted the shawl draped around his shoulders, and underneath was a badge. The design on it was a blue P backed by a zigzag pattern in the same font, in front of a black and white background. Ash and Dawn both gasped, recognising it as the same badge that belonged to the poachers.

"I see you've seen this before, its the symbol of _Team Plasma_" he told them, sounding as defeated as he looked.

"Why are you working for them? What's their goal behind all this?" The questions were flooding from Ash's mouth. But he needed answers.

"Working for them... I took the job because it benefitted my ambitions, they'd give me what I wanted, in exchange for a few things from me, one of those things being my obedience. What is Team Plasma's goal? Even I wasnt able to find out, but it involves a mass scale attack in the future, we have been preparing for it for a long time..."

Ash's hands where glowing blue with power, and his rage was starting to rise with the more he heard. The sounds of the audience drowned out as he listened, as if his world consisted of only himself, Dawn and Tobias.

"One more thing, why are you here? Does Team Plasma desire the Clubsplosion Champion's Trophy?" He asked incredulously.

"I was sent here to demoralize you, and your friends" he replied calmly "Team Plasma's leaders have marked you all a big threat to their goals, and I was tasked to break your spirits, so you wouldnt oppose them".

Ash had heard enough, clenching his right fist which was surrounded in an intense blue glow of Aura, he brought his arm back and smacked Tobias across the face, sending him to the floor, out cold.

The crowd actually cheered when he did this, it seemed no one particularly liked the long haired man.

Dawn grabbed his arm and hugged it reassuringly and he smiled at her, still trying to process everything he'd heard.

He noticed the hole in the wall where Darkrai had been knocked through, and saw the poor Pokemon had been left there, fainted and with obvious injuries. He bent down and took Tobias' Pokeball and returned it, before placing it in his pocket."You dont deserve to keep it, Darkrai will be getting a better home" he said to Tobias' unconscious form. Ash would of taken all Tobias' Pokemon off him if the man had had them on him. No Pokemon deserved to have such a trainer.

Leaving him on the floor, Ash and Dawn made their way to the centre of the field, where Don George was waiting for them for the award ceremony.

Dawn waited at the side, next to the officials as Ash took his place on the podium. "Congratulations Ash! For your hard work and your amazing display of skill in battle, I present you with the Clubsplosion Champion's Trophy!" He handed the golden arm over to Ash, who took it and thanked Don George.

"All right! I just got.. the Champion's Trophy!" He did his usual pose on the podium, upon seeing this Pikachu leapt down off the stands and jumped up in front of him, doing his peace sign "Pika!".

Dawn giggled at the scene, and Ash burst out laughing a second later.

Unnoticed by everyone present, as all eye's where focused on the award ceremony, three figures simply appeared around the unconscious form of Tobias. One of them opened up his communicator. "Lord Ghetsis, Tobias has failed in his mission and we stand awaiting orders with what to do with him".

The voice of Team Plasma's head sage grumbled back "Bring him back to me, ive got a few ways to handle people who fail me". The line cut off and The Shadow Triad member told his brother's their orders. As with Team Rocket the night previous, they grabbed his unconscious form and vanished from sight.

Ash glanced their way a second later, noticing Tobias was gone. He shrugged and presumed he'd come around and sulked off. He wasn't concerned with the older man anymore.

After the ceremony was over, he met up with his friends behind the stands and was showered with praise. After humbly accepting all their kind words, the group made their way back to the Pokemon Center for the night. Ash had asked for everyone to meet up in the cafeteria when they got back as he had some information for them revealed to him by Tobias. They all looked curiously at that but agreed to it. They could all agree on one thing, it had been an eventful day.

**Next - Chapter 14: A Desert of Information**

**Well I can safely say, ive put a lot of effort in this chapter, and I hope my work came across as an interesting read. It's taken me about 8 hours of typing to finish this so im hoping you will all like it!**

**What will I be doing with Tobias' Darkrai? Find out tomorrow with my next chapter!**

**Until next time readers, peace out!**


	14. A Desert of Information

**Hello readers and Pearlshippers! The story is starting to pick up momentum a little now and will keep continuing to do so!**

**Thanks to everyone reviewing, I do read them all :P**

**A special thank you to Uranium235 for helping me come up with the Latias scene!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, so with that said...**

**On with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Bianca : 18**

**Chapter 14 : A Desert of Information**

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

They were all gathered around a table in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria, eagerly awaiting what Ash had to reveal. Once everyone took their seats Ash stood and began to explain. "Alright, I learned a few interesting facts from Tobias after our match yesterday, which you all deserve to know" he waited until he had everyone's attention before continuing.

"Apparently, he was in league with a group he called Team Plasma. They were the men dressed in black poaching Pokemon that we ran into a few night's ago, the very ones we rescued Cresselia from". He let that sink in, watching everyone's faces. No one spoke up but a few of his friends gasped slightly, they were all waiting for him to continue. "He joined Team Plasma for his own ends, he gave them something, what I dont know, along with his obedience in exchange for something he wanted".

"He also confirmed he was behind the nightmare's two nights ago, he told me he was ordered to do it. It was some kind of weapons test. As for what he was doing at the Tournament... well he was there to, apparently, break US". He added extra emphasis on that last word to make it strike home.

"Us? As in all of us?" Iris asked puzzled.

"Ax axew?" Her Pokemon questioned from his perch within her hair.

Dawn nodded "Yeah, Tobias was pretty clear. He said that we had been marked by Team Plasma. They consider us threats to their goals".

Silence reigned as everyone processed the information. It was a lot to take in, finding out your on the hit list of some secret organisation, planning on attacking the entirety of Unova with some new weapon, which apparently caused nightmares.

"So what do we do?" Bianca finally asked, looking a little scared.

"For now, we keep our eye's open for anything suspicious. Unfortunately with Team Plasma being as secretive as they are, it makes it hard to get an idea what they are doing, not even Tobias knew what they're ultimate plans were, only that they were preparing a massive scale attack".

Everyone nodded sullenly, being in the dark on Plasma's motives wasn't ideal, but they didnt have a choice in the matter.

"Well if that's all?" May asked, wanting to go to bed, she was really tired after everything that had happened today.

Ash held up his hand and stopped her from leaving. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, before placing it on the table. Everyone looked at it curiously, noticing it didn't belong to him or anyone else present, then turned their gazes back to Ash, wanting him to explain. "This is Tobias' Darkrai, I took it from him after I knocked him out. I felt sorry for it, no Pokemon deserves a trainer like that".

Everyone's eye's widened, and shot back to the ball.

"T-That's his Darkrai?" Bianca asked, a trembling finger pointing at the ball, she instinctively put a protective hand over Emboar's own.

"It's ok Bianca, without Tobias commanding it, im sure it wouldnt harm anyone" Ash reassured her. "I think it's time to see what it's really like".

Before anyone could protest, he picked up the ball and enlarged it, then opened it, letting Darkrai out in a flash of white light.

The Legendary Pokemon looked around suspiciously, noticing it wasnt with it's trainer. It eyed Ash, seeing him as the boy from the final's and the Sinnoh League, also noticing Bianca from when it fought against her Emboar. It raised an eyebrow, looking at the group sat around the table, clearly wanting to know what was going on.

"Darkrai, I liberated you from Tobias. Im not sure how he caught you in the first place, but I didnt like the way he treated you. And I'd like you to meet everyone!" Ash said with a grin, gesturing with his hand towards the table and all his gathered friends.

Everyone gave a nervous "Hello", keeping their eyes fastened on the dark type.

To their surprise it simply sighed, in _relief_. "_I thank you for freeing me, it wasn't my choice to serve under him. But once I was captured I couldnt refuse his orders_" Darkrai _spoke_. In their heads. In plain English.

Everyone gathered gaped, mouth's open wide. Even Ash was surprised, he knew most Legendaries had the gift to communicate with telepathy, but he'd never seen Tobias' Darkrai do it before. Iris jumped, not used to having a voice speak directly into her mind.

Ash noticed her reaction and quickly explained "It's telepathy Iris, he can talk directly into your head". She nodded at him in understanding, trying to get used to it as quickly as she could. "If you can speak, why haven't you before now? Everytime ive seen you battle, you've only grunted" he asked.

"_I was forced not to, my old trainer didnt like it, so when I would try and speak, I would be punished and sent through serious amounts of pain. Eventually I learned to keep my mouth shut_" Darkrai replied, a hint of sadness in it's tone.

"You poor thing..." May whispered sadly.

"I can't believe you were suffering so, didnt you ever try to escape?" Dawn asked.

"_I did, but I was always caught. I wasn't the only Legendary enslaved to his will. Fleeing brought serious consequences..._" It trailed off, they could just imagine what sort of 'consequences' it faced for it's attempts at freedom.

Trying his best to control his anger, Ash noticed his hands were starting to flare blue again. Forcing it down he spoke up "Well your free to do what you want now. No one here will hurt you and Tobias will never again force you to do things against your will" he smiled at the dark type.

Darkrai was surprised. These human's, in possession of it's Pokeball, were giving it it's freedom back? It wasn't aware human's were capable of doing such things... Maybe they were not all like it's former master...

"_Your... giving me a... a choice?_" It asked, disbelieving their words "_Even though you could just control me with my Pokeball?_".

"Of course!" Ash grinned "We'd never force you to do something you dont want to, you get a choice like everyone else".

"Ash is right, your free to follow your own recipe, whatever ingredients you wish to add" Cilan added with a smile.

Darkrai felt tear's welling up in it's eye's. It knew the words were genuine, it could sense so, and it felt eternally grateful to finally meet people with goodness in their hearts. For the first time since it got captured, it had the ability to choose its future. It floated there for a while, thinking what it wanted to do, not used to actually having a choice in the matter.

Everyone waited anxiously, wondering what the Legendary dark type would decided to do now it was free.

"_I have decided_" it finally announced, drawing everyone's attention "_Freedom after so long feels alien, Ive been with Tobias for so many year's ive forgotten what it was like to roam free without a trainer. Even if I were to go back I wouldnt know what to do with myself, so with that said, I'd like you to be my new trainer, Ash_".

The group let out gasps and Ash nearly choked on his own breath at the announcement. All eye's turned to him as he stuttered out "W-What? M-Me? Why me?".

"_Ive never met a more worthy human, the way you treat your Cresselia, and in-turn myself with such genuine compassion, such care, I can think of no one better, if you'll have me _" Darkrai replied.

Moved by the Legendary's words, the shock of them finally wore off and a big smile spread across Ash's face. "Of course! I'd love to have you! Welcome to the team!" He announced, picking up Darkrai's Pokeball and returning him.

"_Thank you_" he said finally, before being sucked inside by the red beam of energy.

Dawn jumped up and hugged Ash "Congratulations sweetie!".

"Another Legendary added to your team in the same city? What are the odds..." Cilan mused.

"Hey! That's not fair! If dont start share some of your Legendaries soon im gonna have to fine you!" Barry shouted.

"Your such a kid, your nearly as bad as Bianca..." Iris deadpanned.

"Pika pi, pikachu pi pika pika pi!" Pikachu chirped running off the table and up onto his shoulder, happy with their new travelling partner.

"Well, if we are all done, can we go to sleep please?" May pleaded, she was happy for Ash but it was getting hard to keep her eye's open.

Ash nodded seeing how tired his friend was "Of course, we should all go to bed. We have some travelling to do tomorrow and we need the rest".

Everyone happily agreed and they all made their way to their rooms after bidding each other good night.

Ash, Dawn, Pikachu and Piplup all entered their room and started getting ready for bed. Their starter Pokemon curled up in their comfy corner, where two pillow's had been placed down for them to sleep on. Ash and Dawn began removing their clothing until they were only clad in their underwear, before getting into bed with each other. Ash was laid behind Dawn, her back facing him, and his arm around her thin waist.

"Good night, I love you" he said from behind her, she smiled "I love you too". They snuggled up close, enjoying the close presence of the other, and fell to sleep.

* * *

It was morning when Dawn awoke to the flashing light on the video phone in their room, the sun was up and shining through their window and she yawned. She realised Ash was still asleep from the light snoring behind her, and gently lifted his arm off her waist, so not to wake him, and stood up. She had to shield her eye's from the glare of the sunlight, before her eye's adjusted. She found her Poketch and checked the time, seeing it was 9:30 am. Wondering who was calling she groggily made her way over to the phone, grabbing a t shirt on the way to make herself decent. Quickly combing her hair to make it look presentable she sat in front of the video phone and pressed the button to receive the call. She silently thanked Arceus they had it on silent mode.

The screen lit up, and the familiar face of her mother, Johanna, came into view. "Good morning Dawn!" She smiled at her daughter, but noticed her tired eye's "Did I wake you up?".

Dawn nodded "Yeah, I guess I overslept a little, it's great to see you mom, what are you calling for?".

"Well when your took off you said you'd call and let me know how it all went, when I heard nothing I worried a little and asked around to find out where you were. I managed to track you down all the way in Unova! I figured you'd probably be at a Pokemon Center for the night so I called around until I found you" she explained, before raising her eyebrow slightly "Did you get some new clothes?".

She thought her mother was talking about her new outfit she'd bought two days ago, but when she glanced down she realised she was wearing Ash's shirt. "Damn, I must of picked his up by mistake" she said out loud.

Johanna got a cheeky smirk on her face "So, im taking it you've found Ash?".

Dawn blushed like crazy "M-Mom! I really dont want to talk about THAT with you..." she said whilst trying to hide her face with her hands.

Her mother giggled slightly, before her face became serious again "It's perfectly natural, Dawn. It's nothing to be ashamed about. But remember our talk about 'The Pidgey's and the Beedrills', make sure your always protected honey".

Dawn didnt think her face could go any more red, this is not the conversation she wanted to have with her mother! "If that's all you want mom then can we end this call!".

Johanna giggled again seeing her daughter's reaction "Well as long as your ok dear, then im happy. Please give me a call later when you can, and say hi to Ash for me!".

Dawn sighed "I will... Goodbye mom! I love you!" she said blowing a kiss to her mother over the phone.

"Take care dear, I love you too" she smiled before the call was ended.

Dawn sat back and tried to force the blood out of her face, that was an uncomfortable conversation. She decided it was time for Ash to get up, they had to set off soon. "Ash sweetie, time to get up. It's 9:40 in the morning".

Ash opened one eye and looked at her, clearly not liking the idea of getting up. "Five more minutes" he replied then buried his face in the pillow.

She grinned cheekily, knowing a way to get him out of bed... She removed her shirt and underwear and walked over to the bathroom "Im taking a shower, feel free to join me..." she said in the most seductive voice she could manage.

She giggled as he jumped out of bed, and ripped off his clothes, eager to join her. "Slow down cowboy, what happened to 'five more minutes'?".

"That was before you offered a double shower" he grinned, bringing her close for a kiss.

She smiled against his lips, pulling him into the bathroom and locking the door.

The sound of the door locking woke Pikachu from his slumber. He looked up and noticed Ash and Dawn were not in bed, and wondered where they had gotten to. His question was answered almost immediately as he heard the shower turn on and Dawn giggling.

Piplup stretched and yawned next to him, looking around. "Morning Pikachu, where are Ash and Dawn?".

He motioned toward the bathroom with his head "I think they are mating in the shower, they seem to be doing it a lot lately, I think your trainer is in heat".

The Penguin Pokemon nodded "I think she is, it's the only thing I can use to explain why they are constantly mating".

"What do you think about our new team member?" Pikachu asked, thinking about Darkrai.

"It's strong for sure, I never thought it would be joining us though. It actually seems like a nice Pokemon, which I wasnt expecting" he replied.

Pikachu nodded "My thought's exactly, I can't imagine what it would be like under the command of someone like Tobias..."

Piplup shuddered "I feel sorry for the other Pokemon under his command still". He stretched and rubbed his eye's "Want to go get some breakfast? I dont think they will be done for quite a while" he nodded towards the bathroom.

"I think your right... alright let's go".

With that they got up and made their way to the door. Pikachu jumped up and opened it, and they made their way to the cafeteria for a Cilan breakfast.

Ash and Dawn finally came out of the shower thirty minutes later, having to re-wash themselves after getting more dirty than when they originally entered... They noticed Pikachu and Piplup had left and figured they went to get breakfast. Getting dressed and ready, they joined their friends themselves.

* * *

After everyone had eaten up, Ash went to take care of Darkrai's Pokeball. He excused himself from his friends and brought it out of his room, before taking it to Nurse Joy. "Excuse me, I need use of your Center's trade machine please" he asked reaching the front desk.

She looked up as she heard him speak, before smiling and nodding at his request "Certainly, right this way". She moved out from behind the counter and walking towards a set of doors, leading to a back room, she stopped just outside and turned around to face him. "You might want to go bring whomever your trading with"

Ash chuckled slightly "Well, im kinda trading with myself this time".

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, trying to see the funny part of that joke. When she realised he was being serious, she became confused "With yourself? Why?".

He held up Darkrai's Pokeball "We liberated this Pokemon from a terrible person. I was actually going to release it to the wild but it asked to come with us. I understand if it sounds a little suspicious but if need be I can let it out and it can tell you itself".

"It can speak?" Her eye's went wide.

"Yeah, its a Darkrai" Ash replied calmly.

Again she thought he was joking, but the serious look on his face quickly dispelled that possibility, she did think it was rather curious, but she believed he was telling her the truth. "Very well if you want to claim that Pokeball as your own, their's no need to trade with yourself, we have a special device that can change the owner of Pokeballs. It's used when the Police take them off of criminals". She went behind her desk and pulled out a flat scanner like device, it had a Pokeball slot on the front.

Ash raised his brow at it, he'd never heard of such technology before. "That's amazing" he said, putting Darkrai's ball in the slot.

"Please place your Pokedex in the side slot" she motioned to the rectangular hole in the side of the device. He did as instructed and it disappeared inside. The machine whirled, engulfing the Pokeball a blue light. The device then pinged, similar to the sound when you capture a Pokemon. His Pokedex popped out from the side.

"There, your now the official owner of that Pokeball" she said smiling at him, and handed him the ball and his Pokedex.

"Thank's Nurse Joy, uve been a big help. And thank you for trusting me, I wouldnt of blamed you if you didn't" he replied.

"Over the years of dealing with a multiple variety of trainer's, you learn to read people well. I could tell you were telling me the truth" she winked at him.

He nodded and chuckled slightly "You even saved me a spare Pokeball". She laughed at that, and he took his leave, heading back to his friends waiting for him at the entrance to the Center. "Alright guys, it's all taken care of, Darkrai is officially mine".

They all smiled at him "It couldnt have a better home, I know you'll raise it with the care and respect it never got from Tobias" Bianca spoke up.

"She's right Ash, im sure he'll be much happier with you" May smiled.

"Thanks guys" he nodded his gratitude.

With that they all walked outside, before stopping on the pathway. "I guess this is were we split up for now" Bianca said turning to face everyone.

"Where are you off to next?" Ash asked her.

"Ive got some stuff to do for Professor Juniper, ive taken enough time off as it it with the Clubsplosion" she smiled sheepishly.

"And ive got to challenge the Castelia Gym! Cant let you get too far ahead of me Ash! Ill see you later guys!" With that he was off in the direction of the Gym. Everyone sweatdropped and turned back to Bianca.

"It was great meeting up with you all, and im sure we will again in the near future!" She smiled brightly at them. Her Cross-transceiver was blinking and she quickly read the message on it. "Well it seems the Professor has a task for me, bye bye everyone!" She bowed and ran off in her unique ditzy way.

Watching her rush off Ash laughed slightly, then turned to the four others with him "Well, we should start making our move to the next Gym, know where we are headed Cilan?".

He thought about it for a moment before nodding "Yes, I believe the next closest Gym would be in Nimbasa City".

"That's where the musical is! That mean's ill get to keep travelling with you guys for a while longer!" May exclaimed, clearly happy with the news.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" Iris was fidgeting, impatient as ever to get moving.

"Ax axew!" He partner agreed.

Taking Dawn's hand in his own, Ash led the group through the street's of Castelia City as they prepared to leave it behind and journey on to Nimbasa.

**Johto Region - Alto Mare**

The sun was high over the seaside city, the many canals snaking through its many streets glinting in the sunlight. People were moving about on their usual daily routine, and a cool sea breeze wafted in from the open ocean.

Sitting in a secluded garden, shielded from the rest of the city by magical means, were two beautiful young girls. Looking at them you could of mistaken them for twins, but this was not the case, for one of them was a _Pokemon_.

Not just any Pokemon either, but a _Legendary_ _Pokemon_.

The girls in question had shoulder length brunette hair, with two parts spiking up on either side of their heads held in place with green hair clips, one of them had a white hat on, the other let her hair free. They wore a green short sleeved shirt with a white collar, and a short white mini skirt around their thighs. Knee high black socks coming out of pink trainer's adorning their feet. Flawless creamy skin covering their body's.

Latias put her hands on the table and rested her head on them, she sighed heavily and looked up at the sky, eye's downcast and her mouth was stretched into a thin line.

"What's up Lati? You've been acting like this for the last week or so, your starting to get me worried" The brunette sat with her spoke up, noticing her mood.

"_I just feel tired Bianca, it's nothing to concern yourself with_" she replied to the other girl in her head using telepathy.

"Im not buying it, ive known you for too long. Come on Lati you can tell me, what's up?" she pressed.

"_I dont know... Im just fed up with being here all the time, ever since Latios left us, it's not been the same. The last time I had fun was when Ash was here..._" Her cheeks darkened when she mentioned her secret crush.

Bianca knew, of course, and giggled slightly at her friends reaction. "If you want to go travel Lati, I can arrange a trip for us, if you'd like?".

The other girl perked up, her face awakening and a smile creasing her lips "_You mean it?_".

"Of course, id love to take you out some place, but we'd have to be careful. You can't reveal who you really are to anyone, so you'd have to keep in human form the entire time. If anyone asks why you can't speak, ill just tell them your mute and can only use sign language" she smiled at her friend, who was now practically jumping up and down.

"_Thank you Bianca! I didnt think id ever be able to leave Alto Mare! I do love this town, but after so long with nothing to do, even IT'S charm fades. Won't people question it if I look just like you though?_" She asked curiously, not used to dealing with people outside of her home city.

"Well I can just say your my twin, that's easy enough to believe" a thought came to her and she grinned "You know Lati, now that I think of it, their's a big Pokemon Musical event going off in the Unova Region soon, it only happens once a year and it sounds like a blast, wanna go see it?".

Latias squealed and brought her into a crushing hug "_That sounds amazing! When do we leave?_".

"Uh... Lati...can't...breathe" she managed to get out as her face was turning blue. Latias quickly released her hold and tried to calm down her excitement. "Well lucky for you its starting in a few days time, so we'll set off tonite. Ive just gotta go pack an-".

She was cut of as Latias began pushing her into the house. "_Then go pack! The sooner your ready, the sooner we can leave and start having fun!_".

Bianca giggled at Lati's reaction, she was happy to see her old friend in her old excitable and playful mood again. "Who knows Lati, you might even run into Ash when your there".

Latias' face went bright red and she turned invisible to hide her blush. Bianca giggled at her "Oh that's so cute!".

"_S-Shut up_" she said still invisible, but then she sighed "_I dont think ill ever see him again..._"

"Oh come on Lati, you never know! Alright ill go pack, and ill let Lorenzo know we will be gone for a week or so. Then we can go" She smiled trying to get her friend back into her playful mood again. It worked.

Latias transformed into her true shape and grabbed hold of Bianca's arms and carried her up to her room so she could pack faster "Alright Lati, calm down ill be done soon!".

Giggling in excitement, Latias took on her human guise and skipped down the stairs, already dreaming of all the fun new things she could get up to on their trip. She secretly hoped Ash would be there.

An hour later, Bianca was packed and ready to go. They waved goodbye to Lorenzo and made their way to the docks to board a plane to Unova. After quickly purchasing a ticket at the docks, they started thinking happily of all the fun things that awaited them.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

Tobias was thrown before Ghetsis, he landed hard on his hands and knees and was struggling to get up. They were in the Great Sage's chamber at the top of the castle, one wall covered with monitors, each one showing a different scene.

The Shadow Triad, their charge delivered, took to the corners of the room and disappeared from view. Tobias hated it when they did that, it was really unnerving. He looked up as Ghetsis himself stood in front of him in his resplendent robes, a look of disappointment on his face. "You failed me" he said in his rough, cold voice.

"I.. I tried.. my lord...the...boy...he..." His sentence was abruptly silenced as Ghetsis punched him in the jaw, knocking out a tooth and filling his mouth with the taste of blood.

"YOU FAILED ME" he roared, almost loud enough to shake the Castle. "I dont tolerate failure, Tobias. You promised me that you could deliver on your end of the deal, a promise you can't fulfill."

Tobias shakily looked up into Ghetsis' face, trying to hold his own against the older man's intense stare. All he wanted to do was run away and hide, but he kept his gaze locked with the man he now served. "But... I g-gave you the tools to c-create your-"

Pain again filled his body as he was kicked in the stomach, winding him and causing him to double over in agony. "Yes you gave us the DNA strand to formulate the weapon and produce it on a mass scale, but with that complete and the weapon nearly ready, what further use are you to me?" Ghetsis asked, a savage smirk on his face. The one a predator wears just before he slaughter's his pray.

Fear suddenly coursed through him, and Tobias found words spewing out of his mouth in panicked rush "I can still be useful! I won the Sinnoh League! I have powerful Pokemon! I can do better-"

"Your Darkrai was taken from you after it was badly beaten in a match, you used overpowered Legendaries to beat regular trainer's in the Sinnoh League, we have possession of the rest of your Pokemon, and no you can't be useful anymore" Ghetsis quickly cut him off, in no mood for his useless excuses. He relished the look of terror that registered in the other man's eye's.

The Shadow Triad suddenly appeared around him, he didnt even notice them approach, the one directly behind him drew his knife, pulled back his hair to expose his neck and placed the edge against his naked throat, waiting for the command. Tobias was sweating, he didnt want his life to end like this! It couldnt... He looked Ghetsis directly in the eyes "Please..." He pleaded.

The Great Sage found this rather amusing and stepped closer to him, until he was stood directly in front of the wavey haired man. "Give me a reason not too?" He asked in a deadly calm voice, the predatory smirk getting bigger.

"I-I can still be u-useful! Ill do anything you s-say!" Tobias pleaded, fear leaking into his voice and making it higher pitched and shaky.

Ghetsis raised an eyebrow "Anything?".

Tobias would of nodded, if the knife wasnt pressed against his Adam's Apple. "Y-Yes" he croaked out.

"Very well, there is one project ive had in mind for a while, and now your going to help me finish it" the predator's smirk came back to his face and he snapped his fingers.

The Shadow Triad member removed the knife from his throat, before using the blunt end to strike him in the temple, knocking him out. "Place him with the others, we will begin soon" Ghetsis told them and they nodded in confirmation.

They grabbed Tobias' unconscious form and carried him out the room and down the stairs, their destination one of the hidden labs buried beneath the Castle.

"Soon..." The Great Sage mused to himself.

**Unova Region - Route 4**

"A desert?" Ash questioned looking at the rolling dunes, the endless sea of sand and the scorching hot sun beating down on them overhead. They had only just entered it and he was already sweating.

"Im afraid so, they're isnt another way to Nimbasa City. If you want to get your next Gym Badge this is the way we need to go" Cilan told him.

Dawn wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead "Im glad im not currently wearing my beanie, even with a sun blocking cap im sweating. Growing up in Sinnoh really doesnt help you handle hot weather". She was dreading getting through the desert.

"Piiiiiipluuuuuuup" her started moaned from her side, he wasn't feeling too good under this heat already.

"I actually quite like it! Hoenn has a lot of warm weather since it's located so far south, and ive experience temperatures close to this. There is even a desert area back home which ive been through before" May smiled, enjoying the warm air against her skin.

"I dont mind it, but I do find this heat rather oppressive, I say we get through as fast as possible" Iris added, looking ahead of them down the path.

"Well it's not like we have a choice, let's just try get through without stopping" Ash turned and gave everyone a thumbs up before they started off on their trek through the roiling heat waves.

Their walk was rather uneventful, they passed the odd trainer every now and than coming back from Nimbasa, usually drenched in sweat and swearing at the heat. Other than a few desert native Pokemon, there wasn't much to see other than the sea of golden sand and the bright blue cloudless sky. The sun seemed to be following them and the heat was becoming unbearable, Ash removed his hoodie and everyone else took off whatever clothing they could, except for May who was fairing much better than the rest.

About an hour into their trek, Dawn couldnt take it anymore and had to stop, they where about half way through the desert, but the bluenette had already finished her water bottle, and Ash's afterwards. She was drenched in sweat, her clothes sticking to her skin like she had just been swimming in them, and her legs were shaky from exhaustion. "I can't keep going guys... I... need... to rest" she moaned as she sat on the scorching hot pathway. No one looked particularly thrilled about having to stop in this heat.

"We can't stop now Dawn, we are half way there, and if we stop we will just get more dehydrated and exhausted" Ash tried to reason with her.

She nodded and tried to stand but her legs faltered, and she fell flat on her face. Ash was by her side instantly "Are you ok?" He asked worriedly, helping her sit up.

She looked at him with eye's that were pleading for help, she was at her limit he realised, living in the cold north for her entire life had made her very susceptible to extreme heat, and he was thankful that he'd travelled so much. If he'd come here straight from Kanto he doubted he'd be faring any better. He could see only one solution to this problem, and he crouched down in front of her, motioning to his back. "Get on Dawn, ill carry you the rest of the way".

In that instant Ash became the knight in shining armor again just like the one she had sometimes fantasized about when she was younger, coming in to save her. She forced herself on his back and hugged him as tight as she could, he grabbed her legs to hold her in place and nodded to his friends to continue.

"Will you be alright to carry her all the way to Nimbasa Ash? It's still over an hour's walk away and in this heat it wouldnt be wise to over exert yourself" Cilan warned him, concerned about both of his friends health.

Ash gave him a reassuring smile "Ill be fine, no need to worry!".

"Pika pika..." his travelling partner said from his side, worried about his friend. Pikachu would be glad when they reached Nimbasa, a desert was definitely not to his taste. He was doing better than Piplup though. Dawn's starter had collapsed almost instantly and had to be put back inside his Pokeball for safety reasons. Water types and deserts dont mix well.

They continued on their walk, making decent progress. Ash was beginning to feel the strain of having all that extra weight to carry, especially in this unforgiving heat, but he kept going, he wouldnt fail his love, he couldnt. Streams of sweat were pouring down his face and stinging his eye's, his clothes becoming heavy, equal parts liquid to fabric at this point.

He knew his friends kept sparing him worried glances, but he kept going, his usual stubbornness in full swing, regardless of how tired he became, he kept putting one foot in front of the other.

After another forty minutes, Nimbasa City graced their view in all its wonderful glory. The group were never quite so thankful to see civilization in their lives. And hurried down the final stretch of pathway to the place that would bring them respite from this forsaken heat.

When they finally reached the border gateway, they walked into the air conditioned tunnel and sighed in relief. Ash just collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily and more thirsty than he ever thought he could be, a headache starting to form from his dehydration. He'd given half his water to Dawn so he was especially thirsty. Everyone crowded around him and the bluenette who were both now sprawled on the floor.

Iris was quick to think on her feet, and she rushed over to a nearby vending machine and bought as many water bottles as she could and handed them to the couple "Here, you need to drink. If you get too dehydrated it could be really bad for you".

They gratefully took the water and guzzled it down, draining bottle after bottle, trying to replenish all the moisture they lost.

After ten bottles of water had gone down the throats of the pair, they stood up, feeling much better.

Dawn turned to her boyfriend, a look of utter gratitude on her face "Thank you Ash, you really saved me out there, no one has ever done more for me than you".

He just smiled at her "I'd do just about anything for you Dawn".

A tear of happiness fell down her face as she jumped on him and engaged him in a passionate kiss, in front of everyone who had crowded around in worry.

Everyone thought the scene was sweet and a few 'Aww's' could be heard.

Finally breaking the kiss, they rejoined their friends and together, they all walked through the border gate and into Nimbasa City...

**Next - Chapter 15: Roses are Red, Violets are Drew, Nimbasa City, and Elesa too!**

**A shorter chapter than yesterday, simply because of the content involved, this is what I like to call a progression chapter, its important to the plot but nothing super major happens. I hope you still enjoyed it and what's about to come.**

**If your enjoying my story enough to have favorited it or followed it, I again give you my sincerest thanks. It's a nice feeling to know what you write is appreciated by others.**

**Next chapter out soon! So keep an eye out!**

**Until next time Pearlshippers and all my wonderful readers! Peace out!**


	15. Roses Are Red, Violet's Are Drew

**Hello fellow Pearlshippers, thanks for all the great reviews from my last chapter! **

**For anyone wondering, this story will not change from being a Pearlshipping one.**

**Special thanks goes to : Uranium235, BectonStrider and Dawn Ketchum Fan, ive noticed you guys posting a lot of reviews and I thank you all for your continued support.**

**A few interesting things happen this chapter, so I hope you'll all enjoy it!**

**So, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Drew: 16**

**Elesa: 20**

**Chapter 15 : Roses Are Red, Violets Are Drew, Nimbasa City And Elesa Too!**

"Thank Arceus! Nimbasa City!" Ash exclaimed, holding out his hands to the sky "Ive never been more glad to reach the next city before".

"Normally id say your such a kid, but I have to agree, they really need to add a different route through that desert. Route 4 isnt on my list of favorites" Iris said, wiping her brow slightly.

They were all still sweaty from their trek, and in need of a good wash, even May.

"How are you feeling Dawn?" Ash asked his girlfriend who was stood next to him.

"Im doing a lot better, that ice cold water helped a tone. Thanks for your quick thinking Iris" She nodded complimentary towards the younger girl "Im in need of a good shower though" she sheepishly lifted an arm and took a whiff. She didnt smell all that attractive right now.

"I dont think ive ever felt my clothing this heavy, its certainly a dish without flavor" Cilan added, trying to pry his shirt off his torso.

"We should all book rooms in the Pokemon Center before we do anything, we will need them for a while and it'll give us all a chance to wash off" May suggested.

Ash nodded at her "That's just what I was about to suggest, come on lets go find the Center".

The group made their way through the modern city, crowds of people where bustling around, and the city felt alive with activity. They admired the cleanliness of it, the advanced architecture and all the modern technology that was visible on every building they passed. They finally came to the red roofed Pokemon Center with its clear glass windows, they appeared blue in the reflection of the open, cloudless sky.

They entered, enjoying the cool, conditioned air that filled the interior of the Center, and booked themselves a room each, Ash and Dawn sharing one as usual. With that taken care of they disappeared into their rooms to shower and cool off.

Ash and Dawn got into their room and Ash stripped off down to his boxers, getting ready to jump in the shower, but the bluenette beat him to it. She stepped in front of the bathroom door and blocked his path. "Hey what gives? Aren't we sharing a shower?" He pouted.

She giggled "No, we actually need to get clean, not more dirty. If we shower together I wont be able to keep my hands off you" with that she went inside the bathroom and locked the door.

Sighing, Ash sat on the bed "Aww, that blows".

Pikachu looked at him, and had a dirty smirk on his face, which Ash noticed.

"Oh shut up Pikachu" he scowled at his starter.

His long time friend and travelling partner burst out laughing, and rolled around on the floor, finding it hilarious.

Smirking Ash stood up and walked over to his belt to retrieve a Pokeball, before he lobbed it up into the air. It snapped open and Snivy appeared in a flash of white light "Vy snivy?" She asked him, confused to why she was let out.

"Pikachu here was just telling me how much he loves you, and wants you to be his mate. Isnt that right _buddy_" he grinned.

Pikachu stopped laughing, and looked at Snivy. The blood drained from his face when he saw she was looking at him with hearts in her eyes and a deep blush across her face. He sweatdropped as she came running over to him with her arms extended. He glared at Ash "Pika pika!".

"You started it, now you have to live with the consequences" Ash replied still grinning.

"Vy snivy-vy snivy snivy!" She pounced on him, hugging him close, placing kisses upon his cheeks affectionately.

Pikachu sighed and dropped his ears, great, another Buneary. He mentally noted to get Ash back for this later.

Dawn finally emerged from the shower about twenty minutes later, her blue hair wet, and a towel wrapped around her body. "Alright all done!".

Ash quickly made his way to the shower for his turn to wash off "Great, oh and keep and eye on our new love birds" he smirked before closing the shower door.

Puzzled the bluenette wondered who he was talking about until she spotted Snivy and Pikachu on the floor. "Aww isnt that cute, she really likes you Pikachu!" she said bending down to smile at the 'couple'.

"Snivy!" the Grass Snake Pokemon cooed, still nuzzling Pikachu.

"Pika..." He looked up at the bluenette, his eyes pleading for help.

Dawn giggled at his expression "Sorry Pikachu, this is your own battle". She felt his glare on her back as she made her way over to the bed, before drying herself off and putting on clean underwear.

Ash emerged from the shower, about ten minutes later, a towel around him, his naked torso bear to the world. Dawn bit her lip slightly admiring his body again, she could feel herself getting excited but now wasnt the time and she mentally forced herself to calm down. "Ah, that's much better!" He said, stepping into the room and feeling refreshed.

Dawn giggled at him and continued getting dressed herself, putting on her Sinnoh outfit, seeing as her new one was drenched in sweat, although she left her beanie off. She enjoyed the freedom her mini skirt gave her, and didnt realise how restricted she felt in the denim shorts until she put it back on. She began sorting her hair as Ash threw his outfit on, the most he did with his own was throw his cap on it. After placing in her clips to keep her bangs in place, she was done and the two of them decided to get something to eat, Pikachu and Snivy in tow, before venturing around Nimbasa to see what the city had in store.

**Kanto Region - Pallet Town**

Professor Oak pulled up to his lab in his open topped jeep, he'd only just gotten back from the Unova Region, and he'd learned a lot of useful information whilst on his mini vacation, although he was glad to be back. He'd missed the comfort of his own place and the serenity of Pallet Town. Grabbing his suitcase he made his way up to the front door and entered, seeing everything in perfect condition and just the way he'd left it. He nodded approvingly.

The reason for everything running normally was his assistant, whom, upon hearing the door open, came running through to see who it was. "Professor, your back! Man am I glad to see you!" Tracey exclaimed.

"Take it easy Tracey, you've done a fantastic job holding the fort whilst I was gone" he noticed the exhausted look on the young man's face "I hope you managed everything ok".

Tracey nodded slowly "It was a challenge, but I kept everything in order. The amount of stuff to do daily, when your on your own, is astounding. Im amazed you kept this place running on your own for so long" he spoke with barely concealed admiration.

Oak chuckled "After so many years, you get used to it. Besides I always enjoyed my work so it didnt seem so bad" he moved into the lab whilst putting his suitcase down on a nearby table, smiling at all the familiar equipment. Yes he was glad to be back. "So did anything interesting or unusual happen whilst I was gone?".

Shaking his head Tracey answered "Nothing more than normal Professor, although I did get a surprise visit from one of Ash's friends. Her name was Dawn Berlitz I believe, she came here just after you left, all the way from the Sinnoh Region".

Professor Oak raised a grey brow "Really? Dawn was here? What did she want?" he asked curiously.

"She was looking for Ash, and after I told her where he'd gone, she was adamant to go after him" he chuckled at the memory. "She had that look in her eye's so I gave her the spare plane ticket".

"She must of been really keen on seeing him" Oak mused '_It would seem like our Ash is really starting to grow up_' he thought, knowing the reason the bluenette would be so eager to find him. "Well thanks for keeping everything in order Tracey, ill relieve you of most of the work for the next couple of days as a reward for your efforts".

"Thank you Professor!" Tracey smiled appreciatively, before returning to whatever his current job was in the back. Oak smiled watching him go, before he went to his private room and put on his usual outfit. Coming back out he took a seat in front of a computer and decided to check up on how things were going.

Gary had apparently been making some great research on the Sinnoh Lakes, his latest findings saying how he's close to figuring out exactly what's lurking within them. He nodded and turned to see how his other prodigy was going. Ash hadn't been going slow in Unova, his profile said he'd caught three new Pokemon already, and had earned two Gym Badges. '_Well that sounds like the Ash I know_' he thought before clicking on his profile to see exactly who he'd caught.

The first entry that popped up was a Snivy, it was female and knew quite a large move set indicating she was quite high leveled. He was impressed, Snivy were elusive in nature and quite rare to find. He clicked to bring up the next Pokemon, and nearly fell off his chair when the next image came up.

"Ash caught a Cresselia?!" He gaped at the screen, then quickly checked to make sure it wasn't a glitch or error of some kind. Finding no such issues he wondered how in the name of Arceus the raven haired trainer managed to catch a Legendary Pokemon? He would have to call Ash soon and ask him to send her over so he could have a good look at her. To think he would get the chance to study a Cresselia up close!

He was curious what Ash's third capture was, and cautiously clicked the screen. The next image accomplished what the last failed to do, and Professor Oak fell off his chair. "He has a Darkrai too?!" Just what had the young man been up to since he left them at Nuvema Town? Having just one Legendary was amazing enough, but having caught two? The complete Lunar Duo no less, it was astounding. He again checked to see if it was a glitch of some kind, but again it turned out to be the truth.

He sat back in his chair, staring at the image of the Legendary dark type in amazement. He would seriously need to call Ash now, he had a lot of explaining to do. He was also getting really excited, the fact that Ash had these Pokemon would mean that he could get a good chance to study them and learn more about the mysterious Legendaries.

Standing up he made his way over to the video phone and dialed Delia, he needed to ask her for her son's Cross-Transceiver number. He was really looking forward to talking to Ash to learn more.

**Unova Region - Mistralton City**

N finally emerged from Chargestone Cave, he'd met many friends in there and was loathe to leave them so soon, but his current task was important and he couldnt delay. With his escorts in tow, he made his way into the city, trying his best to avoid attention. As a precaution he ordered his guards to hide their Plasma Badges, as it would draw unwanted gazes towards them.

The three made their way to the rendezvous point, located behind a house next to the large air field the city was famous for. As he arrived, Anthea and Concordia came out from the back of the house and embraced him in a motherly hug. "King N, we have been so worried about you, how are you faring?" Concordia asked stepping back.

N graced them with a large smile of his own "Anthea, Concordia, its great to see you both. Ive been fine, the Plasma Grunts you sent to escort me did their jobs admirably, and ive made many friends since we parted ways. I have the Light Stone safely in my backpack and i've long since lost any pursuers" he nodded towards the house, "Shall we continue inside?".

Anthea nodded "Of course, we are just glad to have you back with us. There are a lot of people out there that dont understand our mission to liberate Pokemon, and many of them would probably wish to harm you" she said worriedly as they made their way inside.

"They aren't all bad Anthea, but I thank you for your concern. I actually met a bunch of trainer's who I now consider my friends".

The Goddesses gasped, as did the Plasma Grunts who'd accompanied him. "My King, you became friends with... _trainers_?" Concordia asked, concerned.

Holding up his hand, N continued "They were good people, they loved their Pokemon despite what they did, and their Pokemon loved them. I felt it. Pokemon can't lie, so if they told me they were happy, then they ment it. It does go against everything ive believed to be true, so im searching for the truth behind all of this" he finished with a smile.

Everyone looked at him slightly worried, but nodded. The Plasma Goddesses were fretting over him, he knew, they were basically his mother's, since he'd never known his own and they had raised him since childhood. So it was only natural for them to worry about him. He needed them to understand though, they still believed all trainers were evil. He did too when he set off on his little journey, but after meeting Ash and his friends, that truth became questionable and he knew at least not all of them were bad.

Getting back to the task at hand he spoke up "So, what's the next phase? How are we getting to Dragonspiral Tower?".

One of the Grunts came running through with a map, before placing it on the table and putting holders on the four corners to keep it spread out. He bowed and backed off as Anthea and Concordia stood behind the table, and facing N.

"We have arranged transport to get you there as soon as possible, it will meet you here" Anthea pointed to a certain location outside of Mistralton before continuing "And that will be able to take you to the tower directly, we have arranged to have Plasma Grunts guard the route it will take at intervals, to make sure you arrive their safely".

"What is it your planning to do once your their?" Concordia asked curiously.

"Im honestly not sure, all I know is that Reshiram needs me to get him there. I promised him I would and I intend to keep that promise" N replied, still looking at the map.

He hesitated before asking a question of his own "Have you heard any news from my father? I havent heard from him in a while and ive been wondering what he's up to".

The Goddesses shook their heads sadly "We havent heard from Lord Ghetsis in a while either, my King. All we know is that he hasn't left the Plasma Castle, and is working on his own projects with the help of the other Sages and the Chief Scientist" Anthea explained.

N shook his head wondering exactly what these 'projects' were, he knew his father shared his goals, but the man could be a little extreme at times. "Alright thank you, we should be going, I dont want to waste anymore time than I have to".

They nodded, before handing him some packed supplies to keep him going on the rest of his journey "Be safe N, we will be there for you if you need us" Concordia said softly.

"Thank you both, your support means a lot to me" he smiled at them before following a Plasma Grunt out to meet up with the transport. The one that would take him to Dragonspiral Tower for whatever Reshiram wanted...

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Ash,Dawn and the group had decided to take a stop in a small park clearing just to the side of Nimbasa's theme park. There were a few benches dotted around the area and people were playing with their Pokemon in the warm summer afternoon. Everyone was having a wonderful time and that was no exception for the group of friends.

May and Dawn had decided to finally have that Contest Battle they had promised, albeit a little later than planned thanks to the Clubsplosion, and were currently stood facing each other across an open area of grass.

Cilan was getting quite excited, he'd never seen a Contest Battle before, although he'd heard how spectacular they were. "This should be a wonderous feast for the eye's! A splendid recipe of grace and style!" He exclaimed.

Iris just facepalmed next to him, but, she too was excited to see this. Unova had never had contests, only the musicals, so to see an actual live Contest Battle was really a novelty, especially between two high level coordinators.

Ash had been chosen to be the referee for their little Contest Battle, since he was the only one present, other than the two fighting, that had actually been in and seen contests. "This will be a one on one Contest Battle between Dawn Berlitz from Twinleaf Town and May Maple from Petalburg City! A five minute time limit will be in effect, so please present your first Pokemon!" he called out, motioning to them.

Dawn grabbed her capsule sealed Pokeball, and launched it skyward with a grin on her face, she was relishing being in a Contest Battle again "Togekiss! Spooooootlight!".

Togekiss exploded out of her Pokeball, showered in a beautiful display of graceful fireworks which erupted from the broken seal on the capsule. Making the most of the added effects, Togekiss flew around the showering display of colour, gracefully diving in and around them before stopping in front of Dawn with a dignified landing.

May grinned too, before popping her Pokeball in a similar capsule and launching it towards their makeshift contest battlefield "Glaceon! Take the stage!".

The ball reached half way across her side of the field before snapping open in a shower of snowflakes. Glaceon emerged in a flash of white light, and artfully landed in-between them all before they shattered and rained down upon her, the entire scene was enchanting.

Iris and Cilan were watching with awe, their eye's fixated upon the wonderous display in front of them.

Ash took his que and walked between them holding his hands up in the traditional referee manner "Alright, the battle between Togekiss and Glaceon will now, begin!" He threw his arms down and started the match, before standing back to observe, he was also serving as a pseudo-judge and would do his best to rate their performances.

"Togekiss, lets start off with an Aura Sphere!" Dawn commanded, starting off their mock battle.

"Togeeeeee" she called out, before flying up into the air, performing an elegant somersault and building up the blue sphere of Aura in front of her. She then proceeded to control it masterfully, by spinning it around her body in a gyroscope fashion, producing an amazing spectacle. After doing this a few times she launched it towards Glaceon.

"Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!" May called out to her Fresh Snow Pokemon.

"Ceon!" Glaceon built up the large ball of Ghost type energy in her mouth, before firing it towards the incoming Aura Sphere. The two attack's collided mid air and cancelled each other out, a cascade of purple and blue fell down from the impact like the aftermath of a fireworks display.

"That's beautiful..." Iris whispered, watching the display with rapt attention.

"Axeeeew" her Pokemon mirrored her awe.

"Now Glaceon use Ice Shard!" May commanded.

Nodding her ice type Pokemon concentrated, forming a large ball of ice in front of her. When it became large enough she propelled it forward, and up into the air towards her opponent.

"Togekiss, use Air Slash to counter!" Dawn shouted up to her Jubilee Pokemon.

"Toge" she nodded in confirmation, before lifting one wing up above her and forming a spinning globe of air. Once it was rotating fast enough to slice through the ice, she launched it towards in incoming attack.

When both attacks met, the Air Slash _carved _the Ice Shard and made it look like a freshly cut gemstone, before it shattered moments later. The move gave Dawn some serious points.

Ash checked his girlfriends Poketch, which she had given to him before the match started, for the time, they had about two minutes left in this battle. "Two minutes remaining girls!" He called out from the sidelines.

They both gave him a nod of confirmation, acknowledging that they had heard.

Pikachu was sat to the side, trying to enjoy the match. And he would be if it wasn't for the two warring females sat next to him. Buneary had been let out of her Pokeball to watch the Contest Battle, and had not taken kindly to Snivy attached to 'her man'. Snivy had proclaimed that Pikachu was her's still believing what Ash had told her this morning despite Pikachu saying otherwise. And so it began, the constant headbutting between the two females. He wouldnt of minded but they often brought him into it and asked him to take a side, when he refused to take part he'd get yelled at from both of them. He glanced over to where they were, currently they were in the midst of a fierce 'discussion'. '_Arceus save me_' he thought, before trying to block them out and watch the remainder of the battle.

May knew she needed some points, after that last attack Dawn would of easily pulled ahead. Even though Ash was judging she knew he'd be able to judge it fairly well and intended to take the lead from her bluenette friend. "Alright Glaceon, use Secret Power!".

"Glaceon" the Fresh Snow Pokemon formed several white glowing sphere's of mysterious power around herself in a spinning circle, they pulsated and constantly changed colour, creating a halo of light around her, and a beautiful display to watch.

Satisfied that her audience had seen enough, May gave the command to fire the attack "Now Glaceon!".

Hearing her trainer call, she focused on the power around her and sent the orbs of glowing light towards Togekiss.

"Dodge with grace Togekiss!" Dawn quickly ordered.

The Jubilee Pokemon did a series of graceful turns in the air and avoided the incoming attack, before swooping back around into an attack position.

Quickly checking the timer Ash shouted out "One minute left!".

May and Dawn caught eye contact and grinned at each other, deciding to end this battle with a bang.

"Togekiss, Aura Sphere, full power!" Dawn told her Pokemon.

"Glaceon, Ice Shard, full power!" May commanded.

Both Pokemon powered up their respective moves with everything they had in them. Glaceon poured her strength in the increasingly larger ball of ice in front of her, and by the time she was finished, it was twice the size of a regular Ice Shard attack, and it glinted softly in the sunlight.

Togekiss, had created a similarly extra large Aura Sphere, it was drawing from her mental focus and she put all her might behind it, making it pulsate with power. The blue core of the sphere was glowing fiercely from the centre of it and took on a brighter hue. The Aura Sphere was powerful enough that it was tugging on Ash's mind, his own Aura abilities reacting to the attack.

Finally both attacks reached their maximum potential and both Pokemon launched them at the same time. The Ice Shard and Aura Sphere soared through the air towards each other, finally connecting in the middle. Both moves struggled for dominance, neither gaining ground until they both exploded in a torrent of power and light. Aura and ice merged and blue shards of frozen water hovered around the impact zone creating a mystical display of power, before said power faded and they dropped to the floor, the ice melting on contact with the grass.

Just as that happened, Dawn's Poketch beeped and Ash called out "Time!".

Iris and Cilan stood up clapping, amazed at the beauty and the display of skill in the battle between the two coordinators. "What an exquisite battle of elegance and skill, truly a magnificent recipe that was spiced with beauty and passion!" Cilan had sparkling eyes as he spoke, lost in the moment.

Iris shook her head at him before smiling at her friends "That was an amazing battle you two, who knew contests were so beautiful and so much fun!".

"You should watch an actual contest, there are so many amazing coordinators out there, and when its on an actual stage, its truly a fantastic experience" Dawn told them, a large smile on her face.

May nodded in agreement with her statement. "Dawn's right, when I first started my journey, all I wanted to do was travel, but when I learned about contests, I fell in love with them. Ive been a coordinator ever since and ive never looked back!".

The two coordinator's turned to Ash to see who won "So tell us who won, JUDGE Ash" Dawn giggled.

"To be honest it was such a close thing, without anyone else judging I can't give it either way, so im declaring this a draw!" He said grinning at them.

"That sounds fine to me" May smiled back.

"Thanks for the great battle May, it felt so good to be in a contest battle again!" Dawn said turning to her brunette friend.

"Yeah, it was fun! It's been a little while since ive competed too , so it was nice to get emersed in that world, even if for only five minutes" she smiled back at the bluenette.

Both girls returned their Pokemon, giving them a much deserved rest after their mock Contest Battle.

"You both did amazing, it was a great battle, worthy of a Grand Festival" Ash spoke proudly at them. They smiled back and thanked him for his words. He was about to suggest they move on towards the Gym so he could get his third Badge when his Cross-Transceiver starting ringing, looking who was calling he saw 'Professor Oak' on the small screen.

Dawn turned her gaze towards him "Who is it sweetie?".

"Professor Oak, I dont know what he want's, but I assume its due to the fact that I recently caught two Legendary Pokemon" He chuckled slightly "I have to take this. Ill be back soon" with that he walked away from the group to find a quite spot behind some nearby tree's to take the call.

"May? Is that you?" Someone suddenly called out from nearby.

The voice made May freeze. She hadn't seen him in so long, why was he here now? Could she not escape him? Even when she went to the other side of the world, he managed to run into her. Great...

Dawn noticed May's face darken when someone she hadn't seen before approached from the nearby pathway. He seemed to know her but something had clearly happened between them, that much was obvious. She took a minute to examine this newcomer.

He had medium length grass green hair, with a slight fringe. He wore a black shirt covered with a purple collared short sleeved jacket, left unzipped and open. He wore very light green pants that were fitted rather tight, and on his feet he wore simple dark green shoes. His sea green eye's matching his hair, peered out of a rather good looking face.

Dawn didnt really rate him, but he was certainly not bad looking by any means, he seemed a little too image conscious for her though. She noticed he looked rather down, and wondered why, but guessed it had something to do with May. She leaned towards her friend, wanting answers "Who's that May?".

"_Drew_" she spat with venom, clearly not happy about seeing him.

The bluenette gasped slightly. So that was Drew? She remembered when she mentioned his name in Castelia City the night they met her, and her reaction. She wondered what exactly he'd done to make May react like this towards him.

He sheepishly approached them, before stopping just behind the brunette "May, please can we talk? You've never let me explai-" Drew was cut off as May turned and slapped him hard across the face.

"Explain what?! That you cheated on me?!" She yelled, causing a few nearby trainer's to turn their heads.

Dawn's eye's widened '_Ah, so that's why_' she thought.

"I didnt do anything of the sort! What you saw was her-" he was again cut off by the furious brunette.

"I know what I saw Drew, you locking lips with Soledad! Do you know how much that hurt?!" She yelled pushing him in the chest, a fire blazing in her eye's.

"May listen! She kissed me! I didnt engage back, you just walked in at the wrong moment, and you ran off before you saw me push her away!" He tried to reason with her.

"I've had enough of your lies Drew! Please leave, I dont want to see you..." May said facing away from him and trying to hold back her tears, she didnt want to appear upset by him, but seeing him again brought back all the pain.

"Please listen May, im not lying to you, im telling you the truth. I still love you... you have to believe me!" Drew pleaded in a begging tone. The pain was clear on his face. He reached into his pocket and brought forth a beautiful red rose. "Ive been saving this for you, it cost me a lot of money but I purchased it especially to apologise" he presented it to May.

Iris, Cilan and Dawn all watched in silence, not wanting to interfere in the personal matter and curious to see how it would resolve itself.

She turned around and looked him in the eye, then moved her gaze down to the perfect rose in his hand. She took it from him and _crushed_ it between her fingers, before letting the spoiled flower drop the floor, blood was pooling in her hand where the thorns had dug in. "I said I dont want to see you again!" She roared, tear's now freely streaming down her face not caring for his words or his roses.

Drew looked visibly hurt by her actions and dropped his head in defeat, he knew she wouldnt listen, but his heart had demanded that he try again, it was still breaking from when she left him. It pained him she wouldnt even listen to his side of the story, and he'd tried to talk to her several times before, to explain to her that he had no part in that kiss, the last of which was when they met at the Johto Grand Festival, but she wouldnt listen there either. He slumped "Alright May, ill go, you clearly wont give me another chance and I dont want to upset you further" with that he put his hands in his pockets and walked off, a tear falling from his cheek. He hadn't even noticed the other's in the group.

* * *

Ash found himself a nice quiet spot before he pressed the button and accepted the call from Professor Oak. He smiled when he saw the familiar face of his old mentor and friend fill the screen "Hey Professor, how are you?".

"Im fine Ash my boy! I got quite the shock when I got back to the lab, seeing what uve recently caught!" Oak replied a big grin on his face.

Ash laughed, imagining how the Professor had reacted upon seeing Cresselia and Darkrai on his capture list "Yeah both captures were rather unexpected, Cresselia has already proven to be an invaluable part of my team, she joined me after we saved her from a bunch of poachers, I wont go in to details but it wasnt pretty. After we got her to the Pokemon Center and had her healed up, she decided to join me and actually _captured herself_".

Oak took in the information and nodded "Well it's said that Legendary Pokemon will only allow themselves to be captured by trainer's they deem worthy, either that or they get immensely overpowered, it seems to be the former with you which is a good thing. It's troubling to hear that poachers managed to capture such a Pokemon and I can only imagine what they were doing with her. When you get chance id like to study her if you dont mind?".

Nodding, Ash replied "Of course Professor, she's rather gentle and very loving, you should have no problem in handling her. Ill let her know before hand about you so she's not too surprised when she's let out in your lab".

"I appreciate that Ash, it's always been a mystery to me why only some Legendary Pokemon have gender's. The majority are genderless and studying Cresselia could provide me with invaluable information on the subject" he smiled thoughtfully, before continuing "Speaking of genderless Legendaries, how did you manage to come across the other half of the Lunar Duo?".

Ash's face darkened slightly, remembering the wavey haired man that had previously owned Darkrai, before he shook his head to clear those thoughts and responded to the question "It actually belonged to Tobias originally, you remember him from the Sinnoh League?" The Professor nodded "Well I fought against him here in the Clubsplosion's Grand Tournament, and after beating him in the finals with my Cresselia, he revealed he was working for a secret organisation. We have run into members of this organisation already on our journey here and they were doing some pretty horrible things, for what we dont know yet, but their members included those poachers I mentioned earlier. After beating him, I liberated Darkrai from his care, and after speaking with it, it decided it wanted me as it's new trainer, and I accepted". He finally explained.

Professor Oak seemed troubled by the news of the organisation running amok in the Unova Region, but was happy that Darkrai was out of their hands. A Pokemon of that power shouldnt be controlled by people like that "Im glad you got Darkrai away from them, it will do a lot better in your care. After ive studied Cresselia id like to have a look at it also, again if that's ok?"

Ash nodded "Of course, and as soon as we get back to the Pokemon Center, ill send Cresselia over to you" he suppressed a chuckle when he saw the giddy, child-like gleam in Professor Oak's wizened eye's.

"Oh by the way, Tracey told me that Dawn came by here shortly after we left, asking for you. Did she find you?" He asked with slight mirth.

Ash grinned "Yeah she did".

Before Professor Oak could inquire further a loud scream filled the air. "I said I dont want to see you again!" He recognised it as May and his head whipped around looking in the direction he'd come from, wondering what was going off.

"Sorry Professor, something is happening and I have to go" he apologised to his old friend and mentor.

"No problem Ash, you've been more than helpful, and I look forward to hearing from you again, and seeing what other Pokemon you end up catching!" He said as he waved.

"Me too, ill see you later Professor" Ash waved his goodbye's over the Cross-Transceiver before ending the call and running back to where his friends were, wondering what in Arceus' name had happened while he was gone.

He burst through the shrubbery to see May sobbing, Dawn was stood next to her with her hand on the brunette's shoulder in a reassuring manner, and Iris and Cilan were stood a little distance away watching but not interfering, a strange sadness readable on their features. He walked up to his girlfriend asking "What's happened? Why is she crying?".

Dawn turned to look at him, her eye's filled with empathy for the brunette "Drew stopped by to talk to her, he apparently cheated on her a while ago and wanted to explain his side of the story, but May refused and sent him away, the whole exchange really shook her up" she told him.

Ash looked at her, then his gaze turned to May, his anger flaring up seeing his old friend crying so "He cheated on you?" He asked her in a steely voice.

May turned to him, eye's red, raw and puffy from all the tear's, which were still now pouring down her face. She sniffled and just nodded, before Ash brought her into a close hug and stroked her hair gently. "It's ok May, hes gone now and ill make sure he never hurts you again" Ash said in a strong but compassionate voice.

May buried her face in his chest and sobbed, but already feeling better, his strong arms wrapped around her and his deep, husky, compassionate voice reassuring her. She felt safe in his embrace and never wanted to leave.

Dawn looked at them with sadness in her eye's, she felt so bad for May. The poor girl couldnt seem to catch a break in her love life and she didnt even feel jealous at the close contact they both currently shared, knowing May needed the support of one of her closest friends right now.

Eventually May's sobbing stopped and she released her hold on Ash, stepping back and looking up into his face. "T-Thanks Ash, that really helped" she said wiping her eye's with her gloved hand.

He smiled at her "Anytime May, you know im always here for you" his face then darkened slightly "But what's this about Drew cheating on you?".

"Please, can we not talk about it?" She pleaded.

Ash saw the pain in her eye's and nodded "Sure, but next time I see Drew, ill have a few things to say to him" he said, unconsciously clenching his fists.

Cilan and Iris finally dared venture over, seeing the emotional turmoil was finally settling down. "Are you ok now May?" Iris asked concerned.

The brunette nodded to the Unova native "Yeah, ill be fine, thanks for asking".

Dawn decided it was time to change the subject "What was it that Professor Oak wanted Ash?".

"He wanted to know about my two new Legendaries, and asked to study them when I get the chance to send them back to his lab" he explained. "He was quite shocked to find that id caught them when he got back from his trip here" Ash chuckled slightly.

"Ill bet" his girlfriend smiled at him, before asking "So what do you wanna do now?".

"I was hoping we could find the Gym, im itching for my next Badge!" He answered her, already getting pumped up.

Dawn giggled seeing the excitable look in his eye's, the one he gets when hes about to eat his favorite meal, battle a Gym Leader or when they are about to... she cut her thoughts off, a slight blush appearing on her face."Of course" she then leaned in closer and whispered "And it will help occupy May's thoughts to see you in a Gym Battle".

He nodded in agreement "Yeah, your right". A blur of yellow caught his attention and he noticed Pikachu was being chased by two very exciteable females. He laughed slightly and decided to rescue his old friend and pulled out Snivy's Pokeball. "All right Snivy, return" the small Grass Snake Pokemon disappeared back inside her ball in a beam of red energy, and he motioned for Dawn to do the same. She nodded in understanding before returning Buneary, much to Pikachu's relief. Now free from being persued he ran over to Ash and took his perch on his shoulder.

"Pika pi, pikachu" he nodded his thanks to the couple

Turning to Cilan the raven haired trainer asked "Do you know where the Gym is here?"

The Pokemon Connoisseur nodded "I do, and its not far from here, please follow me" He led them down a small pathway out of the park, and into the bustling streets of Nimbasa. Once they got near the theme park he turned down a large, open and glamorous looking street. The shops along the side were all fashion and beauty oriented, and the girls were looking around with starry eyes.

"This place is amazing!" Dawn exclaimed from Ash's arm, she looked up at him with a large smile on her face "We have to go shopping here later!".

He felt a terrible sense of dread at that idea, and tried to think of a way out of his boyfriend duties. Unfortunately he couldnt think of any, and began to panic slightly.

"I second that notion!" May added, her normal tomboyish manner forgotten in the face of all the potential shopping.

"Im not usually one for this stuff, but I have to agree it looks like so much fun!" Iris said from the back.

Cilan shared a look with him and he noticed a similar expression on the Connoisseur's face, Ash sighed, and they both resigned to their fate. They were outvoted three to two in their little group, so shopping it would be...

Finally stopping outside a rather glamorous looking fashion exhibition, Cilan spoke up "Well, here we are, the Nimbasa City Gym!" He said pointing towards the building in question.

Ash looked at it and then back at him "Are you sure?" Then he remembered that the Unovan Gym's tend to be altered by their leader to reflect that person's personality. "Who's the Gym Leader?".

"I believe Elesa is the leader of the Nimbasa Gym" Cilan answered.

Ash had never heard of her before, but apparently Dawn had as she squealed in delight. "THE Elesa? The supermodel and star of countless fashion and beauty magazines Elesa?" She beamed, a slight blush appearing over her face.

Cilan sweatdropped "Err... yeah, that Elesa".

Jumping up and down Dawn let out another squeal of joy "Ive always wanted to meet her! She's so beautiful and stylish!".

"Who's Elesa?" Iris questioned with a raised eyebrow.

The bluenette looked at her with exasperation "You've never heard of Elesa?" When Iris shook her head, Dawn reached into her backpack and pulled out a fashion magazine, with a stunningly beautiful woman on the front cover. She pointed at the picture "That's her!".

Everyone gathered around to see, May raised her eyebrow's "Wow, she's pretty".

"I have to agree, she looks stunning!" Iris exclaimed.

"Well come on lets go inside and meet her!" Dawn grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him inside with her. He stumbled slightly as he struggled to keep up with his excited girlfriend.

Everyone sweatdropped and followed them, wondering what they would find inside.

The interior of the Gym was a cat walk fashion arena. The room was dark, with several colourful,flashing lights shining down from the ceiling girders, hundreds of people cheering on the Gym's cavernous floor. The walkway down the middle of the Gym was lit up on either side by several sets of lights, and it ended at the other side of the Gym leading up to a large open platform, in front of a large screen that was currently displaying a bunch of models in different fashion outfits.

Ash and Dawn entered first and gaped at the sight, it was certainly a Gym like no other. The rest of the group followed close behind and had similar expression on their faces. "Well I can safely say that every Gym ive been to so far in Unova has surprised me" Ash admitted looking around the large open room.

A woman was stood posing on the large open platform in front of the screen, when she noticed the group that had entered she raised an eyebrow, before her eye's finally fixated on a raven haired trainer and his _Pikachu_. She gasped and ran down the walkway towards them, her high heels not slowing her in the least, before stopping just in front of the group and blushing slightly "Im tingling all over!" She exclaimed, before examining Ash's starter intently "Wow a Pikachu! Ive never seen one up close! You shine like the sun!" She then turned to Ash "Is this your Pikachu?".

The woman was stood directly in front of Ash enabling him to get a good look at her. She was in her very early twenties he guessed, and she had pure blonde hair in a stylized fringe that trailed down her neck. A black headband ran over the top of her head, holding two very extravagant ear cuffs in place, each coloured differently, the right red and the left blue, two long black cable extensions coming from each and reaching down to her knee's. She wore a black and yellow sleeveless top, with the front sectioned, showing off a large amount of her skin and somehow enhancing her modest breast size. Tight black leggings covered her long, luscious legs and expensive looking yellow heels adorned her feet. He had to admit she was very attractive and he recognised her immediately as the woman from the front of the magazine Dawn had shown him. Elesa! "Yeah it is" he smiled charmingly at her "My name's Ash" he introduced himself.

"Hi, my name's Iris!" The ebony skinned girl continued the introductions.

"Im May!" The brunette chirped.

"Hi im Dawn, and im such a big admirer!" The bluenette practically squealed.

"And im Cilan" The Connoisseur bowed politely.

Elesa was taking in Ash's form rather acutely, admiring his tanned white skin, his glossy raven black hair, his toned muscles and his sculpted, handsome features, when she heard him speak. His deep husky voice made her melt and she tried to regain her composure slightly. "Hi Ash, welcome to the Nimbasa Gym!" She completely ignored the others, hardly even registering their presence, her attention tunneled on the young man in front of her "Im taking it your here for a Gym Challenge?".

"You bet!" He said pumping up his fist in eager anticipation, before looking around trying to locate something. Finally giving up he asked "But where's your battlefield? All I see is a fashion stage and a catwalk".

Elesa giggled before she held up her right hand and snapped her fingers. The large platform in front of the screen split open, and a battlefield common in most Gym's appeared up and out of the floor. The screen behind it stopped displaying the images of the models, replaced by a scoreboard. "Follow me, handsome, we will get this battle started right away! Your friends can feel free to take up the front row spectator seats!" She took Ash by the hand and before he could protest, led him down the walkway to battlefield. Her hand felt perfectly smooth and soft against his skin.

Everyone else stood there with blank faces, wondering what in Arceus' name just happened. Dawn's face suddenly became a mask of rage, realising that Elesa had just hit on her lover, and then taken him _by the hand_ to the battlefield. Before she could act on her emotion, they were all escorted by the security staff to their seats in the audience.

Up on the stage Elesa and Ash finally made it to the battlefield before she let go of his hand, blushing slightly and taking her spot on the side of field. Ash copied her and took the other side, wondering why all the girl's he keeps meeting seem to take a liking to him.

"I hope your ready for an electrifying battle Ash!" She practically cooed at him from her side of the field, the audience cheered loudly in response to her words.

"Of course I am, im looking forward to a great battle!" He responded with his usual battle enthusiasm. He chanced a glance at the spectator seats his friends had been given, and noticed the bulging vein on his girlfriends head. He sweatdropped and quickly blew her a kiss to calm her down. She saw him and smiled, catching the kiss and holding it to her heart, the vein disappearing slightly.

Elesa watched him and frowned, not happy that this stunningly handsome male was taken, but continued on in her flirty manner "Well then, let's get this battle between _us_ started" adding a seductive tone to the word 'us'.

A referee came and took her spot in the usual position, raising both her flags. She seemed a rather attractive referee and Ash mused that everyone working for Elesa's Gym must take special care about their appearance. "This will be an offical three on three Gym Battle, between the Gym Leader Elesa and the challenger Ash Ketchum, trainer's present your first Pokemon!".

Elesa smiled and grabbed a Pokeball, she was looking forward to a truly electric battle...

**Next - Chapter 16: Elesa's Battle for Ash!**

**Ok so there you go, two new character's introduced this chapter, and left on sort of a cliffhanger?**

**I would of added the battle between Ash and Elesa this Chapter, but I felt it was long enough as is.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Ill get the next one out as soon as possible!**

**Until next time fellow Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	16. Elesa's Battle for Ash

**Hello everyone, Id just like to say that I know it looks like im adding A LOT of 'love rivals' for Dawn, but this isnt the case! I promise, they are just crushes! And after this little stint in Nimbasa it will calm down a lot in that area. It's all building to something special so please stay with me! (And before anyone gets any idea's no, its not building up to be a Harem).**

**Thanks for all your feedback, good or bad ill read it all and use it to help improve my writing.**

**So with that said, on with the fic!**

**Chapter 16 : Elesa's Battle for Ash**

"Now prepare to watch me glow!" Elesa called out to everyone present, and the crowd went wild. She fingered around her belt until she came upon a particular Pokeball "Feel the spark and feel the tingle! Watch me mix and mingle!" Holding up the ball she enlarged it and launched it towards the battlefield "Zebstrika, the bright light's on you!".

A large striped horse-like Pokemon emerged from a flash of white light as the Pokeball snapped open. It looked like a larger, older version of Barry's Blitzle. "Zebbstrikaaaa" He announced flaring electricity around himself and stomping his hooves.

Ash took a good look at it and mused it must be the evolved form of said Pokemon, he pulled out his Pokedex to grab the information on it regardless. An image of Zebstrika appeared on the screen, along with all the data on it, and the monotone voice whirred out "Zebstrika,the Thunderbolt Pokemon. When this ill-tempered Pokemon runs wild, it shoots lightning from its mane in all directions". Nodding Ash ran over his possible choices, this particular Zebstrika looked rather powerful and reasoned that Elesa had started out with one of her power players. He didnt want to use Darkrai or Cresselia unless nessacery, so he decided to stick with his normal three for now. Because of this Pokemon's special ability to absorb electric attacks, he decided Pikachu could have a turn. "Alright buddy, your up for this one".

"Pika pi!" He grinned from his shoulder before hopping down and ran onto the field, happy to have been picked.

A picture of Pikachu and Zebstrika filled one of three circular slots next to a large portrait of Ash and Elesa on the large screen behind them.

"The first round match between Zebstrika and Pikachu will now, begin!" The referee threw down her arms and started the battle.

"Alright Pikachu, let's start this off with a Quick Attack into an Iron Tail!" Ash commanded immediately, not underestimating his opponent for a second.

"Pika!" He acknowledged. A white aura of power surrounded him briefly, then he charged towards Zebstrika at high speeds, his tail taking on a metallic sheen as he ran.

"Zebstrika dodge!" Elesa countered.

Her Pokemon moved to the side of the incoming Iron Tail at lightning speeds, and Elesa grinned. She was about to order him to counter attack when Pikachu used his glowing tail to hit the floor and use it as a spring board to fling himself in the direction of Zebstrika, taking it and her, by surprise.

"Pikachupi pika!" Ash's starter yelled bringing his Iron Tail attack around him in a sideways arc, and slamming into Zebstrika's face. Spittle flew from its mouth and it had to steady itself from the powerful blow.

Pikachu landed back on Ash's side of the field and grinned. "Way to go buddy! Now lets keep up the pressure, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded straight after, giving Elesa no respite.

"Alright Pikachu! You can do it Ash!" Dawn yelled from her seat, letting her voice be heard.

"Piplup pip piplup!" Her starter joining in, waving his flippers in the air.

"Zebstrika, use Flame Charge!" Elesa commanded, pointing at the incoming Mouse Pokemon.

"Zeb zeb zeb zeb strikaaaa!" Zebstrika whinnied and started stomping his feet on the ground before enveloping his body in a sheath of flames, before running out to meet Pikachu's charge.

The two met in the middle of the field and clashed head on, the impact causing a small explosion and a cloud of dust to erupt from the battlefield. Both Elesa and Ash were straining to see the results, and when it cleared both Pokemon where still standing, albeit breathing heavily and slightly bruised.

Ash was limited to only a few moves, so had to quickly think over his narrowed options, none of which pleased him all too much. But his electric attacks would just power up his opponent... unless?

It was a huge risk, but he decided to bite the bullet and try it. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!".

Pikachu turned to him in confusion, but one look into Ash's eye's and he understood what his friend planned. He hoped it would work out ok, otherwise things would rapidly go south.

Elesa thought she had misheard the raven haired trainer, why was he using an electric attack on a Pokemon that had the Lightning Rod ability. She cocked an eyebrow at him "Huh?".

"Now Pikachu!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu started building up massive amounts of energy in his cheek pouches, the inner electricity given to him by Zekrom greedily flowing in, sending the power off the scales. His entire body became engulfed in a blue lightning aura, before he opened his eyes and gave Zebstrika a glare that could rival Ghetsis' own. "Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" he bellowed, launching a super powerful blue bolt of thunder at his opponent.

Zebstrika sweatdropped and looked around nervously, not really wanting to absorb _that_. He backed off slightly as the raging bolt darted through the air, but there was no escaping it, and it connected with his body. His Lightning Rod ability kicked in and the torrent of immeasurable power began being absorbed into him, but he winced in agony rather than feeling charged up. The electricity that was coming in was too much, too fast. His eye's started twitching and he began having seizure like convulsions, unable to process so much electrical energy at once. Eventually his body gave up trying, and expelled it all through his skin. He was briefly lit up by blue electricity, before going ram-rod straight and falling over to his side in a similar fashion to a stuffed Zebstrika being knocked over.

Gasping in worry and confusion, Elesa ran over and checked up on her Pokemon "Zebstrika, are you ok?".

He twitched slightly, the only sign he was still alive, before his head hit the floor, his tongue lolling out and swirls in his eyes.

The referee raised her flag "Zebstrika is unable to battle, and the winner of the first round is Pikachu!".

Sticking her tongue out at Elesa, Dawn cheered "Alright guys, you did it! Way to go!".

"Pip piplup pip!" Her starter added, doing his little cheer dance.

"Your such a little kid" Iris facepalmed at her.

"That was a truly powerful flavor coming from Pikachu, even being able to overload a Lightning Rod ability" Cilan commented, he'd been thoroughly amazed at the display.

"Alright it worked!" Ash cheered, before looking guiltily at the scale of the damage he'd done "A little too well..." he added sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Elesa looked at Ash and the at Pikachu in an expression akin to awe "That was some Thunderbolt, ive never seen anything like it! But I dont think Zebstrika will recover from that for a few days..."

"Pika pi" Pikachu ran over to him, his ears down and hoping he didnt do anything wrong.

"You did fine Pikachu, how about you sit the next round out and recover?" His Pokemon nodded and stood next to him, ready to watch the next match.

Elesa pulled out Zebstrika's Pokeball and returned him, before moving back over to her spot on her side of the field. As she reached it, Zebstrika's portrait on the screen darkened, whilst Pikachu's went grey to signify he'd been substituted.

"Right now Ash is sparkling so much, its difficult to look" She blushed slightly "But soon he'll be spinning instead of sparkling" her right eye glinting as she spoke. Grabbing another ball from her belt, she kissed it and then launched it towards the field. "Alright Emolga! The bright light's on you!".

The ball span rapidly in an arc, as it curved through the air towards the battlefield, it snapped open and revealed another Pokemon Ash had never seen before in a flash of white light. It flew around in the air slightly before diving back around and hovering in front of the Gym Leader. "Emoool" she cooed, doing a charming pose.

Ash could hear the girls behind him squeal at the cuteness of it, and even he had to admit it looked pretty adorable, but he wasnt fooled by its looks. Looks meant nothing in battle and he wasnt going to underestimate it. Pulling out his Pokedex to get all the relevant information, he began reading the lines of text on the screen as the familiar voice spoke up "Emolga, The Sky Squirrel Pokemon. It glides on its outstretched membrane while shocking foes with the electricity stored in the pouches on its cheek".

Putting the Pokedex back, he tried to decide what Pokemon to use. The temptation to use one of his Legendaries was overwhelming, but he he didnt give in to the urge. He'd felt like he overdid it with Pikachu and didnt want to comatize more of her Pokemon. Finally settling on his choice, he took the Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. "Gabite! I choose you!" He called out as the spherical device shot forward out of his hand and span towards his opponent, before snapping open and revealing Ash's dragon-ground type in all his glory. "Ga-bite!" He roared, making his entrance known.

The audience in the Gym cheered loudly, eagerly awaiting for the next round to begin.

"You got this Gabite!" Dawn cheered on from the side.

"Piplup pip piplup!" The small Penguin Pokemon continued his little cheer dance.

Emolga and Gabite's portraits appeared up on the screen next to their respective trainer's and the referee took up her place again "The second round between Emolga and Gabite will now, begin!" Again throwing down her arms to start the match.

"Emolga, make the stage shine! Start this off with Attract!" Elesa commanded.

"Emoool" she cooed as seductively as possible and posed, winking at him, before cutely blowing multiple heart shaped kisses at Gabite.

"Use Dig to dodge! Dont get hit by that Attract!" Ash quickly ordered, really not wanting that move to come into effect.

Gabite nodded quickly and dug down into the arena floor, dodging the hearts that popped harmlessly above the hole.

Seeing an opportunity, Elesa took it "Now Emolga, use Electro Ball on the hole!".

"Emol" she powered up a large ball of electrical power on the tip of her tail, then span forward in a somersault and fired it down the hole and to an unsuspecting Gabite.

Ash had no way to counter and just had to let the dragon-ground type endure it, thanks to his type's though, he would take minimal damage at best from it. He quickly formulated a strategy in his head and relayed the commands to Gabite "Pop up out of the ground under Emolga, then latch onto her with your mouth!"

Hearing his trainer's commands, he burst up underneath the unsuspecting Sky Squirrel Pokemon, and bit down on her mid section, trapping her within the confines of his mouth. "Now, use Draco Meteor!" Ash quickly ordered.

Grunting the large dragon-ground type's stomach began glowing orange with the building up of draconic power, before it moved up to his mouth and _engulfed_ Emolga within the growing sphere of energy.

Elesa panicked slightly "Emolga use Electro Ball down his throat!".

Emolga tried her best to carry out the command but found herself in too much pain to concentrate as the draconic power roiled around her.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabite!" Finally building up enough energy, Gabite planted his feet square on the ground and, roaring his name, launched the glowing orange sphere, and in turn Emolga too, skyward. It soared up into the air and, upon reaching the pinnacle of it's hieght, exploded. Small meteoric fragments of draconic power rained down upon the battlefield, creating small craters wherever they landed. Emolga was caught in the initial explosion and screamed in pain before falling down to the arena, skin burnt and knocked out.

"Emolga no!" Elesa cried, seeing her fallen Pokemon flat out on the battlefield floor.

"Emolga is unable to battle, this round goes to Gabite!" The referee declared holding up one of her flags as Emolga's portrait darkened on the screen.

Sighing Elesa held up her Pokeball and returned Emolga "Emolga, you were brilliant, you shone like the sun".

"Way to go Gabite! You were awesome!" Ash called out to his Pokemon, giving it his signature thumbs up.

"Great job Gabite! We knew you could do it!" The bluenette cheered.

"Pip piplup!" Piplup added in his voice.

Gabite nodded his thanks to the received praise, a smile creasing his features. "Now take a nice long rest, you've earned it" Ash brought up his Pokeball and pressed the return button, sending him back inside in a beam of red energy.

"Well Ash you and your Pokemon are shining so bright it's almost impossible to look upon you,so if that's the case we will have to shine a thousand times brighter! Its time for my Electric Queen to come out and dazzle you with all her splendor!" Elesa exclaimed, getting a bunch of cheers and sequels from the audience below the battlefield.

"What does she mean by that?" Iris asked looking around.

"I think it means she's about to add some serious power to spice up this battle" Cilan mused.

"Come on Ash, no matter what she uses, you got this!" Dawn encouraged.

Elesa grabbed the final Pokeball on her belt, enlarged it , before giving it a quick kiss and throwing it skyward "The bright light is on you!". It span towards the field and snapped open, spilling out her mysterious team ace. Although no one quite expected to see what came out of her Pokeball...

It was tiny! The Pokemon that emerged in the flash of white light was one of the smallest Pokemon Ash had ever seen, and it seemed to float in the air above the battlefield. It looked like the head of a squid with no tentacles attached, and it had a red X mark on its face. It's skin was entirely white, with two small black eyes and a yellow zigzag pattern running down its body. Two squid-like fins extended from it's tiny torso. "Tynamo!" It screeched.

Everyone sweatdropped. Ash looked on in disbelief "And here I was expecting some massive new Pokemon" He flipped open his Pokedex to see what made this Elesa's strongest team member, and the monotone voice blurted out as he read the details on the screen. "Tynamo, the EleFish Pokemon. One alone can emit only a trickle of electricity, so a group of them gathers to unleash a powerful electric shock".

He couldnt see any reason why this Pokemon was so powerful and just shrugged.

"Pikachu pi?" Pikachu asked from his side, equally confused.

"Err Cilan?" May asked looking at it as if it was some kind of joke.

"Dont judge a book by its cover" he said weakly, not actually believing the words himself.

"Now Ash, dont hold back! My Electric Queen hasn't been beaten in a long time, she shines brighter than the sun!" Elesa exclaimed again, bringing more cheers from the crowd.

"Dont hold back huh?" He asked her, an amused smile playing across his face. His hand playing with the two newest Pokeballs added to his belt.

"Anything less wouldn't be fair, she might not look much but she packs a punch that you wont see coming!" Elesa replied.

"Well, I doubt that, but you asked for it, so for a special occasion ill use one of my strongest in a Gym Battle" his hand landed on a particular Pokeball, he enlarged it, then twisted his cap backwards. Pulling his arm back, he launched the ball onto the arena in a fast spin "I choose you!".

The ball span over the battlefield towards his opponent before it snapped open, and in a flash of white light, Darkrai floated in front of it's trainer, looking at a very surprised Gym Leader. The entire crowd in the arena went quiet, everyone's jaw's hitting the floor and eye's wide open. Darkrai looked around and grunted.

Dawn had to suppress a giggle at everyone's reaction. She supposed they dont get many Darkrai's in this Gym.

"You have a D-Darkrai?" Elesa stammered, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

"Well you told me not to hold back" Ash shrugged with a smile. On the screen behind them a portrait of Darkrai and Tynamo appeared next to their trainer's.

Tynamo looked at her opponent, suddenly not at all confident in this match. True she hadn't been beaten in her last several matches. However none of them were against a _Legendary_! She would do her best for her trainer but this felt like a mountain she couldn't climb.

The referee recovered from her surprise long enough to remember her job, and quickly took up her spot in the centre of the battlefield "The third round match between Tynamo and Darkrai will now, begin!" She threw down her arms and started the battle.

"T-Tynamo, use Tackle!" Elesa was hoping her Pokemon's super high speed would be enough to at least get some hits in on her opponent.

'_Tackle? Really?_' Ash thought incredulously. Darkrai raised one of it's brows in amusement.

"Tynamo!" The small Pokemon didnt hesitate, even against the Legendary, which the raven haired trainer had to give it credit for. It flew across the battlefield at a speed almost impossible for the naked eye to see, and rammed like a bullet into Darkrai's chest. Sending them both back several feet.

Ash's eye's widened at the sheer speed of it, rather impressed. But he doubted it would do enough damage to harm Darkrai. His suspicions were correct when Tynamo disengaged and went back to her side, Darkrai simply floated back to it's spot, and merely scratched where the attack landed.

Elesa sweatdropped, she had barely left a mark with Tynamo's _only_ attack. Her speed could probably help her dodge many of her opponents moves but it would take her all day to even bring down a sliver of its health.

Deciding it was his turn to attack, Ash ordered "Now Darkrai, use Dark Pulse!".

"_As you command, Master_" Darkrai spoke in his mind, and it powered up the dark type energy between it's hands, then launched the twin, chain-like beams of power towards Tynamo. They surged towards the EleFish Pokemon at blistering speeds, Darkrai making sure the small electric type wouldnt be able to avoid them.

"Tynamo dodge it!" Elesa cried out.

Tynamo began moving to her right to dodge the incoming powerhouse of an attack, but her eye's went wide with surprise and pain as the attack actually moved faster than her, slamming into her and causing a small explosion to issue forth. Tynamo was sent, face first, into the wall behind Elesa, leaving a small crater in the concrete, her two small eye's replaced by swirls.

Elesa gaped slightly, trying to comprehend just how fast that Dark Pulse had come. It had to be fast if not even her Tynamo could dodge it.

Everyone again fell quiet and stared at the results of the attack, their brains trying to process what they had seen. The referee shakily raised her flag "T-Tynamo i-is unable to b-battle, which means t-the round and the match goes t-to Ash Ketchum and Darkrai!" she finally exclaimed.

Up on the screen Tynamo's portrait darkened, followed by Elesa's, then they were both replaced by a big picture of Ash and his team.

The silence was broken as the crowd suddenly burst into cheers and applause for the young raven haired trainer, and a series of fireworks burst into life behind the screen, lighting up the large open roof top with marvelous displays of colour and art.

Elesa smiled slightly and returned her favorite Pokemon "Return my Electric Queen, you shined as brightly as you could".

"You were amazing Darkrai! Thank you for lending me your strength" Ash said to his new Legendary, gracing it with an appreciative smile.

"_It was my honor, Master_" Darkrai responded within his mind.

"Now take a nice long rest" holding up his Pokeball, Ash returned it to it's home.

Dawn ran up onto the stage to give him a congratulations hug, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, as he put his around her waist, pulling her close. "You were amazing as usual" she giggled into his chest, enjoying being held in his arms.

"I couldnt of gotten this far without you, though" He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her hair. She looked and smiled at him, happily losing herself in his auburn depths.

Elesa approached and watched the couple as they lost themselves in each other, and she sighed slightly, knowing they were truly in love and no amount of flirting would ever break them apart, before bringing a Badge from her pocket and tapping the raven haired teen on his shoulder. "Here Ash, you've earned this. I present you with the Bolt Badge!" He turned his head to face her and gratefully accepted the Badge.

"Thanks Elesa, although I still feel bad about using my Darkrai..." he replied looking down slightly.

"Hey, it's ok Ash, I asked you to use it and you did, uve earned that Badge, because afterall... I lost the battle" the blonde haired women glanced at Dawn when she said that last part.

Ash smiled at her then, freeing himself from Dawn, did his usual pose "Alright, I just got... the Bolt Badge!"

As usual Pikachu ran up and jumped in front of him, adding his little peace sign "Pi pikachu!".

Dawn giggled and brought Ash into another hug before standing beside him. He glanced down at his new badge and grinned, before popping open his Badge Case and placing it in the third slot. He looked up to see the rest of his friends approach to offer their congratulations.

"Darkrai is amazing! Even when Tobias used it, ive never seen it with that kind of power!" Iris said giddily, bringing Ash into a hug.

"I have to agree, its recipe for battle recieved a serious boost of flavor since it changed ownership" Cilan smiled at his friend.

"You were great Ash, its always nice to watch you battle" May grinned at him, her earlier troubles forgotten for the moment.

"Pi pikachu pikapi!" His long time friend congratulated him before jumping up onto Ash's shoulder.

"Thanks everyone" he said before turning towards the blonde Gym Leader "And thanks for the battle Elesa, it was nice meeting you".

"You too Ash, ill never forget you" she smiled wistfully at him.

He thought it was curious but shrugged it off and, after everyone said their goodbyes to the super model, led the group back out into the streets of Nimbasa. Fresh air was a welcome relief when they got outside, not realising how stuffy it had been in there with so many people crammed inside the Gym/Catwalk.

They noticed the sun was almost set, the lamps on the corners and sides of the walkways lighting up as the nightlife of Nimbasa City came alive. They were all feeling the exhaustion from the days events, from trekking through the desert, to Dawn and May's mock contest and finally Ash's Gym Battle. "I think it's best we call it a day for now guys, we still have all day tomorrow to explore Nimbasa before the Musical event in two days time" Ash declared as they all stood outside in last few rays of daylight. The air was still warm and slightly humid.

"Im all for that, the desert walk really destroyed my energy" Dawn said, letting out an exhausted sigh. Now that the Gym Battle was over, the days events were catching up with the bluenette and nothing sounded better than snuggling up with her lover in their bed for a nice peaceful sleep.

"It's agreed then" Cilan announced, and they all nodded, before making their way back to the Pokemon Center for a good rest.

**Sinnoh Region - The Lucario Kingdom**

Riley and Lucario finally made it to their stop before heading off to Unova. It was a fairly secluded place, dotted with a few tree's, fields and a few small mountains and cliffs. They were currently stood in front of a large metal gate which lead to a long, winding, gravel pathway. "_He's here, Master. I can sense his Aura_" Lucario told him as they peered through the bars. He nodded down to his companion, he could sense it too.

Opening the gate, they stepped through and started down the path, admiring all the exquisite plant life that decorated their way. It was certainly a fancy place, and very well kept. Row after row of perfectly trimmed oak tree's framed the path in pairs, one on either side. After around ten minutes of walking they finally caught sight of their destination, a large mansion filled their view and all its ornate finery. It had to be at least four times as tall as an ordinary house and much, much wider. Riley assumed it had to have at least a hundred rooms within it's walls, and he doubted many of them had actually been used for quite some time.

He could feel it stronger here though, the tug against his mind, the presence currently at the edge of his senses. Lucario could too, from the way the Aura Pokemon was behaving. Finally reaching the end of the path, they moved passed a rather large and expensive looking fountain, and steadily walked around to the back of the mansion to where they could sense the presence the at it's strongest.

As they stepped out around the back of the mansion, they were greeted by the largest garden either of them had ever seen. It stretched for as far as the eye could see and was graced with many rare tree's and plants, giving it all an exotic look. It must of a cost a fortune just to maintain on a daily basis, but it all looked immaculate. Many different wild Pokemon could be seen off in the distance, playing beneath a few tree's or generally minding their own business.

Sat just outside, on a small workbench was a rather old man. He was currently busying himself with a small piece of wood in his hands, his carving knife gently cutting away at it, shaping it into his desired image. He was concentrating quite hard on his task and thus, had not registered their presence yet. They walked over to him, and Riley gently tapped him on his shoulder.

He jumped and nearly sliced through his thumb with his latest cut, before quickly turning around to see who had joined him in his backyard. Upon seeing the uniform of an Aura Guardian and a fully matured Lucario, his eye's widened and he quickly bowed. "Master Riley, I havent heard from you for so long! What brings you here after such a long time!" The old man brought him into a crushing hug.

"It's great to see you to... uncle" Riley managed to get out "But... could you loosen... your hold... a little... its hard to... breathe".

The older man quickly released him and stood back "Sorry lad, I sometimes forget my own strength" he chuckled slightly. "You too Lucario! Look how big you've gotten!" Lucario bowed his head in thanks to the compliment.

Riley smiled at him "Im sorry for startling you so uncle, but we had no time to let you know we were coming. Im on an important journey and we've come for Riolu".

His uncle's eye's widened again and he looked at his nephew, slightly shocked "You've come for little Riolu? Is it his time already?".

"I believe so, nearly all Riolu brought into our service have to serve a Guardian at some time, its actually a great honor" he smiled towards his Lucario who smiled back. "I was shown a vision of great importance, uncle, and Riolu plays an important role in preventing a disaster that will ruin an entire region".

The older man looked shocked at such heavy news but nodded slowly, understanding, when you work closely with the Guardians for so long, you come to expect things like this. "I can't deny that ill miss him, the little guy has kept me company over the last couple of years" he stated sadly.

"I know, but his time to serve the Guardians of Aura has come, and we cannot delay or shield him from the world anymore, as much as we might like to" Riley told him.

He nodded again "I know lad, ill go fetch him, please wait here". He placed down his knife and the small wooden sculpture he was working on, before adding "Im sure he will be rather pleased to see you" he smiled as he disappeared inside the house.

"_Are you sure he's ready for this, Master? Such a big task for starting mission..._" Lucario turned to his companion after the older man was out of sight.

Riley nodded "I agree it's rather a tall order for a first assignment, but the vision was clear. If he's not ready we will just have to make him ready, remember though, he is the only Riolu in generations to learn Aura Sphere before evolving".

Lucario considered that and grunted. That _was_ a rather unique feat "_How much will you tell him?_".

"Enough" Riley answered "He doesnt need to be overwhelmed right now, first he needs to get over the fact that his life will be changing forever, then we can let him know about the visions and what exactly his role will be".

Nodding Lucario then kept his silence, thinking about the coming events and everything he'd learned recently.

A few moments later, Riley's uncle came out of the large mansion with a big grin on his face. "I have someone here who's eager to see you again!" he announced, before stepping to the side.

A young Riolu ran out of the house and leapt at Riley, bringing the older man into a hug. The Aura Guardian smiled and returned it, before placing him back down and ruffling his head affectionately. Lucario nodded politely at his pre-evolved friend.

"Hey there little guy! It's been a while since I saw you hatch!" He greeted the excited Aura Pokemon.

Riolu looked at him and barked happily, practically jumping up and down at seeing his old friends again.

"Still can't use your Aura to speak?" Riley asked. The young Riolu shook his head sadly. "Oh well, guess we will have to teach you then eh?" He winked.

Riolu looked up at him smiling fiercely, wonder in his bright eye's. He barked a few things in response. Riley looked to his companion with a raised brow, indicating he wanted translation.

"_He say's he'd love that, Master. He also said he had no idea we would be coming_".

"Im not surprised you didnt know, we didnt ourselves until recently" Riley's face became serious. "We have some very important things to tell you, little one".

He looked up at them curiously, turning his face from Lucario and back to Riley. He could see by their expressions that it was serious and his Aura was picking up some grim vibes from their own. He barked at them a few times.

Again Lucario took the liberty of translating for his human companion "_He wishes to know what the important news is, and why exactly he needs to hear it_".

Riley nodded towards his uncle, signifying that he wanted some privacy. The older man took the hint and bowed gracefully to the Aura Guardian and disappeared back into the mansion closing the door behind him. The three of them walked over to a secluded spot in the garden, which had some ornate wooden benches arrayed around a small pond. They sat down on the wooden seats before Riley sighed, took a deep breath, then looked the small Aura Pokemon in the eye's before telling him what would be required from him in the near future.

"You've been chosen, little one, your time has come to be the companion of an uprising Aura Guardian and take your place at his side" he started, causing the young Pokemon's eye's to widen slightly. "A vision was revealed to me, an impending disaster of epic proportions is coming to a far off land known to us as Unova, and we have a part to play in stopping it. A very powerful Aura Guardian is awakening soon, and whoever he is, he's currently in the Unova Region. I was shown the faces of some old friends who are tied to everything that's about to happen, and I believe if we find them, we will eventually find the new Guardian". He smiled gently at the young Pokemon in front of him "Your role in all this, little Riolu, is to the be the partner of one of the greatest Aura Guardians of all time, and help him stop a disaster that will bring Unova to ruin" he finished, letting it sink in.

Riolu sat there, mouth agape and eye's wide. He turned his head to look at Lucario, then back to Riley, trying to see if they were joking. All he saw was their stern and serious faces looking at him expectantly. He realised they were waiting for his reply and he swallowed to clear his dry throat, and noticed he was shaking slightly. It was a lot to take in for one conversation. Finding out you were required in stopping some massive catastrophe and about to be the trusted partner of an Aura Gaurdian of legendary ability. Slowly processing everything he'd heard, he finally nodded and barked his reply to his evolved form.

Lucario smiled proudly at the younger Pokemon and relayed what he'd heard to his friend "_He say's he can hardly believe it, but since it's coming from us, he has no choice but to. He's a little scared about the whole thing but has agreed to do whatever he has to, and accepts his role in the coming events_".

Riley tipped his hat towards Riolu in respect. That was a lot to take in and he'd accepted his duty with courage. "Im glad you've taken this so well, the fact that your willing to do what's needed of you isnt always easy, especially with so much at stake. This will be hard, and it will be dangerous at times, but we will be there with you" he smiled at the young Pokemon. "Unfortunately due to the nature of whats happening, we dont have a lot of time on our hands so we must be leaving very soon, and you'll have to come with us".

Sighing, Riolu nodded, he thought this would be the case. Since he heard Riley's explanation, he immediately assumed that was why they had come in the first place. He would be sad to leave his home, but his destiny was calling and he couldnt turn away. Truth be told, knowing he would be a part of such historical events and the fact that, he, out of all the other Riolu's, was chosen to be the next great Aura Guardians partner was exhilarating. Being chosen to be the partner for a normal Guardian was honor enough, but this...

The three of them then got up, and walked back to the mansion, just as the old man came back out to greet them, his smiling visage curious with questions. Riley smiled back before speaking up "It's time to leave uncle, Riolu has accepted what is required of him, so he will be joining us on our journey".

The older man nodded sadly, fully expecting this to be the case. Riolu approached him and looked up at him with tears glistening in his eye's, finding it hard to say goodbye to someone who had taken such good care of him since he was born. "Dont be sad little one, your off to do great things, it's what you were always ment to do" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden carving "I made you this to take with you, a little farewell present".

Riolu turned over the wooden carving in his hands, it was himself, masterfully crafted as a fully grown Lucario. He knew it was him because the way the eye's were shaped, he know his own anywhere. A single tear dripped down his cheek as he held the figurine close, before embracing the older man in a tight hug.

Riley's uncle returned it, before patting him on the head.

"We have to be going now, it was great seeing you again uncle, maybe next time my visit will be under better circumstances" Riley said, bowing.

"Your welcome anytime lad, it was great seeing you again, even if for only a short while. Look after this little one for me".

"We will, you can rest assured of that" He motioned for Riolu, and the young Aura Pokemon joined him and Lucario as they said their goodbyes to the older man, and walked back down the gravel pathway. They could now finally set off to the distant shores of Unova, and everything that awaited them there...

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

The group finally arrived back at the Pokemon Center, all of them ready for bed and a good nights rest. They walked through the automatic doors, talking amongst themselves, Ash and Dawn at the front, holding hands, when the raven haired trainer suddenly stopped, causing Cilan and Iris to walk into the back of the couple. They stumbled forwards from the impact but regained their balance before falling. "Hey, what's up Ash? Why did you stop?" Iris questioned curiously from behind him.

He didnt hear her, his attention focused solely on someone currently getting a room at the front desk. His grass green hair easily marking him out. "_Drew_" he finally said, his eye's narrowed and his fists clenched. Everyone gasped and followed his gaze, finally noticing the coordinator talking to Nurse Joy. May hid behind everyone, not wanting to be seen.

A blue glow sprung up around Ash's clenched fists as his Aura started to flare, reacting to his sudden spike of anger. Dawn put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly, trying to calm him, but it didnt work. Ash methodically moved towards the front desk, his eye's never leaving the Hoenn native, he faintly heard his friends calling his name but he didnt register it. When he finally reached Drew, the coordinator sensed someone behind him and turned, only to be faced with a very familiar and very intimidating face. Made all the more so by the fact that his auburn eyes were now glowing blue with power. "Ash?" he squeaked out.

In response the raven haired trainer grabbed hold of him by the jacket, and lifted him up as if he weighed nothing at all, his Aura giving him insane amounts of strength. Without saying a word he carried a struggling Drew outside and set him down against the wall. The coordinator was visibly sweating and a look of pure fear evident in his eye's.

Pikachu was running by his side, and he growled at Drew, knowing what the coordinator had done to his friend "Pi pika pikachu, pikapi!".

All his friends came running out to see Ash pinning Drew against the wall of the Center and rushed over. "Ash! Dont give in to anger, you dont need to hurt him!" Dawn cried running over to his side, clutching Piplup tightly in her arms.

"Pip piplup!" The Penguin Pokemon called out to his friends.

"She's right Ash, dont do something you'll regret" Iris added, also running over to him.

May kept her distance, she didnt want to go near her ex-boyfriend and honestly wouldnt of minded Ash pummeling him into the wall.

"We know your upset with what you heard, but try to think with reason, and not anger" Cilan advised, coming up next to Iris and Dawn.

He silenced them all with his left hand, and everyone stepped back a step, before he finally spoke "You hurt her Drew, you hurt my friend in a terrible way. Why?".

Drew gulped, trying to regain his composure. He'd never liked physical conflict and Ash was scaring the living daylight's out of him. "I didnt do anything! I swear it! I was kissed by a girl but I never returned it, May saw the kiss but not the aftermath, and she's never let me explain" he responded.

Ash raised a brow and turned his gaze to May, he beckoned her over with his left hand, and she sheepishly walked towards them, not really wanting to go near Drew but really not wanting to get on Ash's bad side when he was like this. When she finally reached them, she kept her gaze lowered as not to make eye contact. "I think you two need to finally talk about this, Drew says you refused to listen to his side of the story May. I think you should hear him out, because if you dont then your relationship was never trustworthy enough to begin with and there is no future for the both of you" the raven haired trainer said, his voice deep with power.

She didnt know how to respond to that, and wondered when Ash became so mature. Finally nodding at him, she didnt trust herself to speak just yet, she raised her head to meet the gaze of her ex. Ash took his que and left the two of them to talk it out, he took Dawn's hand and led her away to give them privacy, Iris and Cilan in tow.

Drew looked at May, finally regaining his composure somewhat and his features softened as he spoke "I think it's about time you heard my side of the event's May". She didnt respond just nodded slowly. He sighed knowing that was all he was going to get from her for now, and relayed the event's that the brunette missed.

**Flashback**

_"How are things going with you and May?" Soledad asked him, sitting next to him on the bed. She had joined him just after May stormed out, which he found rather suspicious but didnt question it. She had claimed to just want to talk, and so they had for that last hour. He had no idea where his girlfriend had run off to, but he hoped she would be back soon, and hopefully a little calmer._

_He turned to his older friend next to him, "Truthfully, not so well. We seem to argue a lot more than we should and we can't seem to have a normal conversation anymore without getting angry at each other over the stupidest things" he replied honestly._

_It was true, they had been fighting a whole lot over the most irrational things, and when they weren't arguing there was a visible tension between them, he still loved her but it wasn't easy for them. He honestly didnt know what that meant._

_He noticed Soledad figet slightly, she looked nervous and he saw a slight blush tinting her cheeks. She turned and looked him in the eye's, before finding her nerve and asking "If it's not working out then why are you still with her? What... what about me?"._

_He had been expecting and dreading this in equal measure, it was pretty obvious with her whole sudden appearance after May's departure and her 'just wanting to talk'. He could see she had been thinking about confessing to him for a while and had finally found the courage when she thought his relationship was falling apart. He didnt want to hurt his old friend but he needed to let her know before she got any idea's "I told you before I dont think about you in that way, im sorry, but im wi-"_

_He was cut off as she leaned in and kissed him, he had NOT expected that and could only widen his eye's in surprise. He was about to push her off and ask her what the hell she was doing, when his girlfriend burst through the door, tear's streaming down her face "How could you! We're through!" She yelled before storming off again._

_'Dammit!' He thought, she must of been outside the door listening in this whole time, and walked in at the worst possible moment. He quickly shoved Soledad off him and ran to the door. "May! Wait!" He shouted down the hallway but the brunette was gone. He could feel his heart breaking at what she'd said and instinctively chased after her. He ran outside the Pokemon Center but his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. He called out to her for the next hour, shouting as loud as he possibly could, but never received an answer. Finally hanging his head in resignation he stormed back up to his room to find Soledad where he'd left her, sitting on his bed, looking around sheepishly. He turned his furious gaze upon her "You need to get out right now! That little stunt you've pulled has probably ruined my relationship with May, and for the time being we are no longer friends!" He yelled at her._

_She seemed visibly hurt by his words, and tear's started welling up within her eye's "Drew please, im sorry! Can't we ju-"._

_"GET OUT" he roared, cutting her off, and she ran from the room, tear's streaming down her face. Drew stood in his suite, alone, for a long time just staring at the walls, not knowing what to do. He eventually collapsed on his bed and felt tear's on his cheeks. "May, please come back to me..." he whispered before letting sleep claim him and blank out his aching heart._

**Flashback End**

May stood still as she heard everything from Drew's perspective of the night she ended things with him. She for some reason wanted to believe he was lying to her, but she could hear the truth in his voice. Forcing herself to think clearly, she thought about everything their relationship had been, what she had felt in it and how it had all ended. Looking at Drew now, she asked herself what she truly felt about him. The answer came to her rather quickly. Nothing. She felt nothing for him, and that for her settled matters. Sighing deeply, she finally spoke up "Drew, I believe you".

His face lit up upon hearing her words, but she wasnt done and quickly silenced him from speaking up with her hand before continuing "But our relationship really wasn't working, we constantly fought and being around each other felt tense and awkward. Im sorry to say this but I dont love you anymore Drew. It may have ended on a misunderstanding, but it probably wouldnt of lasted much longer anyway, I wasn't happy with our relationship for quite a while before that" she admitted.

Drew sighed deeply, but nodded "It was getting difficult, wasn't it? I dont know what it was that caused us to fight so much, but we did. I wasn't happy either at the end, to tell you the truth, but I do still care about you May, maybe just not like that anymore. Ive been holding onto what we had for so long, but hearing you say that you no longer feel anything for us, it made me finally realise that, neither do I".

May smiled at him, hoping he'd take it well, and he had. It seems their constant fighting back then hadn't been fun for him either "I think we should just return to being friends, that worked for us, and I missed the old you, the one that would inspire me to be a better coordinator, and be the rival to beat in a contest".

His face lightened and he nodded "I miss that too" he thrust out his hand towards her, "Friends it is".

She took it and then they embraced in a hug, although one of mutual friendship, rather than love. Finally braking apart they said their goodbye's and May rejoined her friends.

"So how did it go?" Dawn asked her as she approached.

"We decided to call it quits and just go back to being friends" she informed them, with a content smile on her face, happy to finally put all that behind her and move on.

"Well it seems to have been the best decision for you to make" Iris said, noticing her mood.

"It was, our relationship wasn't working, even quite a while before the breakup. This is for the best and we're both happier for it" May replied.

"Well if that's all sorted, we should be going to bed, I was tired enough already but dealing with Drew has made it worse" Ash stifled a yawn "Im glad you sorted it all out though May" he smiled at her.

"Thanks Ash, so am I" she grinned back.

With that they all walked back inside the Center, and after bidding each other good night, retreated back to their rooms, ready for a good night's rest after an exhausting day.

**Next - Chapter 17 : Dawn's Nimbasa Date**

**Well this chapter cleared some things up! I hope you all enjoyed it, and how the story is progressing, the story still have along way to go before its finished so I hope you will all stay with me for the journey!**

**Again big thanks to everyone that's favoriting, following, reviewing and reading my story on a regular basis! Your support means a lot to me!**

**Next Chapter will be out soon!**

**Until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	17. Dawn's Nimbasa Date

**Hello fellow Pearlshippers, another day, another Chapter, that's all my life has been since I originally posted this pretty much :P Not that im complaining, im really enjoying writing this and reading all your feedback.**

**Prepare for massive amounts of fluffyness in this Chapter as Ash and Dawn finally get some alone time, well at least more so than usual.**

**The story's third Lemon Scene will be in this Chapter.**

**Well enough of my A/N, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.**

**Ages:**

**Kenny : 15**

**Chapter 17: Dawn's Nimbasa Date**

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Ash awoke in the mid morning with Dawn still asleep next to him. She had one arm wrapped around his torso and a leg over his own, with her head resting on his chest. He had his arm around her back and over her tiny waist, watching as she slowly opened her eye's and yawned. "Good morning beautiful" he smiled down at her.

She turned her head and looked up, into his face, smiling sleepily "Morning, I feel so much better after a good night's sleep". Putting her head back down on his chest, she snuggled up to him and closed her eyes "Im too comfy to get up though... five more minutes".

He chuckled slightly and brought his arm up, and started gently stroking her soft, blue hair "I remember saying that to you yesterday" he heard her giggle as she remembered what she did to get him out of bed. "How come you found the energy to wake up then?".

"Ugh, I was woken up by a call from my mom. She just wanted to check up on me and see how I was doing, since I err... kinda forgot to call her" Dawn sighed into his chest "She says 'hi' by the way".

"She knew I was with you?" He raised a brow.

"Yeah, she knew I came here to find you, and when I answered the call, I was... kinda wearing one of your t shirts" the bluenette said awkwardly.

Ash blushed slightly at what that implied "So she knows about us doing... that?".

She nodded her head against his skin "Yeah, and she's fine with it, but it wasnt a very comfortable conversation... for me. She seemed to LOVE to make me feel embarrassed".

Ash sighed in relief, he was glad Johanna didnt have a problem with them being in a sexually active relationship. He liked Dawn's mother and wouldnt want to upset her. "I was thinking,how about today, you and I go explore on our own, away from everyone else, just the two of us?".

Turning her head up to look at him, Dawn smiled brightly "You mean like a date?".

"Yeah, we can spend the entire day together, just us. There is a great amusement park here and I thought it would be amazing to go there with you" he grinned back.

The bluenette's sapphire eye's shone with glee as she leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips "Id love that!" She exclaimed happily.

Pulling her close and rolling around in the bed sheets with her, the two of them laughed playfully, and ended up on the floor. He was on top of her and they stared into the other's eye's. They loved doing this, their bond could be seen swimming in the depths of sapphire and auburn, their love for each other stronger than any physical one. After just gazing at each other for a few minutes, Ash leaned down and captured her lips in his own, both of them closing their eyes and enjoying it immensely. The kiss deepened and their tongue's came into play, dancing around each other and entering their mouths in turns, before they finally broke apart for air. Dawn giggled and rolled Ash over to be underneath her, placed a kiss on his nose, then stood up to get ready. She was really looking forward to their little day together.

Ash stood up and stretched before reaching for his usual outfit, as he turned to put his pants on, he saw Dawn giggling at him "What?".

She was pointing to his boxer's and he realised he was pitching a serious tent, and a small blush appeared on his face. "Well being that close with you does this to me" he replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He then looked her over, and grinned back, she raised a brow at his sudden mood change, before he nodded down to her panties. There was a wet patch over her private region. "Looks like you enjoyed yourself too".

Blushing, Dawn nodded "Yeah... I guess I did". They both laughed and proceeded to get dressed.

Pikachu and Piplup roused from their slumber, groggily stretching and yawning. They noticed their trainer's getting ready and wondered what would be going off today. Moving over to Ash as he was zipping up his hoody, and putting on his cap, Pikachu decided to try and ask "Pikachu pi, pi pika pi?".

Ash looked down at his starter and sighed "Sorry buddy, today is just gonna be me and Dawn, your gonna have to stay with Iris, Cilan and May".

Pikachu's ears dropped and he looked disappointed "Pika...".

"I know buddy, but its just for today. I really want to take Dawn out and have it be just the two of us, we havent had a chance to do that since we got together" he told his starter, trying to explain the situation to him.

Pikachu still looked down, so Ash brought out his emergency tactic. Reaching into his backpack he pulled out a full ketchup bottle before showing it to the Mouse Pokemon. Pikachu's face instantly lit up, and he had a giddy smile on his face. "Now dont think this will be a regular thing, your getting a treat because I have to leave you for the day, it's not healthy to constantly eat ketchup" Pikachu nodded frantically, eagerly awaiting his prize.

Chuckling at his partner, Ash handed him the bottle and watched him scoot off to the corner and greedily start lapping at it. Piplup watched him with slight amusement, wondering why he loved the red substance so.

Dawn then took her turn to tell her starter. "Piplup, im afraid you wont be able to join me today, Ash and I are going on a date and we'd like some alone time".

He blanched and looked at her, sadly. "Pipluuuuuuup".

"I know but like Ash told Pikachu, its only for a day, and you'll still have all your friends. Besides Pikachu's not the only one who gets a treat" she smiled and reached into her bag, bringing out her poffin case, before handing the entire thing over to him. "I filled it with your favorites, so I hope that'll keep you going for a while" she giggled as he had the biggest smile on his face ,and happily ran over to join Pikachu in the corner with his case of poffins.

Looking back into the mirror and tweaking her hair until it was perfect, Dawn then stood and joined her boyfriend as they made their way out to join their friends and tell them of their plans for the day. They left Pikachu and Piplup in the room, happily munching away.

When they reached the dining area, they saw all their friends already up and sat around a table eating. They quickly grabbed a plate and picked up some breakfast, Ash a lot more so than Dawn, before joining them.

"Good morning you two, hope you slept well" Cilan greeted them as they sat down.

"We did thanks, I feel a lot better than yesterday. Walking through that desert really drained my strength" Dawn replied, taking a bite out of her oranberry pancakes. Ash just nodded, unable to speak due to the amount of food currently crammed into his mouth.

Iris as usual facepalmed at his actions, before asking "So, what's the plan for today? Im looking forward to looking around Nimbasa!".

"Actually Ash and I will be doing stuff on our own today, we're going on a date!" Dawn chirped.

Everyone looked at them slightly surprised, before the girls gave Ash an "Aww, that's cute!". He blushed and pulled his cap down over his face, causing Dawn to giggle slightly.

"Would it be ok if you looked after Pikachu and Piplup for us?" The bluenette asked her friends hopefully.

"Of course, we'd be happy to take them with us. It will give me a good chance to evaluate them more thoroughly, if they are in my care" Cilan exclaimed happily.

"Cilan's right, you two go have fun!" Iris insisted.

"Yeah no need to worry! Where are they anyway?" May asked, looking for the two in question.

"They are currently in our room, eating treats" Ash told them, finally demolishing his stack of pancakes with syrup.

"Well you two just enjoy your day, leave Pikachu and Piplup to us" Cilan told them, a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you so much, we havent had any alone time together like this since we became a couple" Dawn thanked them.

"Speaking of Pokemon, I gotta send over one of my Pokeballs to Professor Oak before we go. Ill go take care of it now, thanks for helping us out guys!" Ash said as he left the table and ran over to a transfer machine.

After finishing her breakfast at her own, much more reasonable pace, the bluenette left the table after again thanking her friends for their help, and bidding them farewell for now. Walking into the lobby, she found her boyfriend sitting on a seat in front of a video screen, the familiar visage of Professor Oak plastered on it. She walked up to him just as he put the phone down "All sorted?"

He nodded "Yeah, he was really excited about studying Cresselia" Ash chuckled remembering Oak's face when he had the Pokeball in his hands. "Ive brought my other Pokeballs with us, just in case we run into trouble. Im hoping nothing will spoil our day, but its best to be prepared if it does".

She nodded understanding "I know, ive brought three of my own for just the same reason. Great mind's think alike huh?" She giggled.

"That's what they say! Now let's go enjoy ourselves, we have the entire day together, just the two of us". He grinned at her, earning a smile in return, then took her hand in his own as they exited the Pokemon Center, heading for the amusement park, looking forward to finally having some alone time.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

Ghetsis walked down into the hidden labs beneath his Castle, the Grunts he passed on his way quickly bowing, then fleeing from his presence. He had been informed that N was nearly done in his little task, one that he had manipulated from the start, so he needed to make sure his other projects were on course. His black, flowing robes trailing behind him as he went.

Descending the cold, stone steps deep into the earth, he finally came down to the cavernous chamber that housed the thousands of tanks. Briefly glancing at them, he made his way over to Colress, who was still working away at his station "You had best tell me things are almost ready, Colress, the time is almost at hand".

The Chief Scientist adjusted his glasses as he looked down at the Great Sage "Everything is on schedule, you have no reason to fear. Even the little side project you tasked me with has produced rather interesting results".

Raising a green eyebrow, Ghetsis graced the scientist with an animalistic grin "Is that so?".

Colress supressed a shiver at the sight. "Yes indeed, you have only to look with your own eyes to see" he motioned to the wall on the far side of the room. Four figures were restrained against it, guarded by the unmoving forms of The Shadow Triad. Promptly marching over there, his strides sure and purposeful, he stopped in front of them, eying each of the figures closely, his red lens glinting in the blue glow of the room.

The figures were covered entirely with a black cloak, the hoods up and shrouding their faces in darkness, revealing no features. Any normal person looking upon them would fear for their life, but Ghetsis merely smirked. The Shadow Triad kept a close eye upon their liege lord, incase the cloaked figures tried anything. There was an incredible sense of dread emanating from them.

Finally nodding he walked back over to the Chief Scientist "I want them operational within the next two days. Do not fail me, Colress". He turned to the Triad "Keep a close eye on everything that happens here, the minute anything changes, inform me at once".

They nodded in perfect unison, before resuming their vigilant guard. Satisfied, Ghetsis left the chamber, and began ascending the steps. Everything was going just the way he wanted it to. He would bring Unova to it's knee's and enforce his rule as its King, reshaping the Region in his image. The thought brought a savage grin to his face. Soon he would have the means to sweep aside any resistance to his plans, and then, truly, no one would be able to stop him...

**Unova Region - Nimbasa Amusement Park**

Ash and Dawn had just entered the park, and were looking around at all the amazing attractions. The park itself was full of people, happily enjoying their day out on all the many rides, making the most of the summer weather.

Grabbing her lover's hand, Dawn pulled him over to a long line, which led to rather large rollercoaster "Come on Ash! This looks like fun!".

The raven haired teen looked up, and grinned "I never took you for the type, Miss Berlitz" he said mockingly as they stood in the que.

"What just because im a girl I can't like big, bad rollercoasters?" She asked faking anger and playfully hitting him.

"It's not because your a girl, its because your a _girl_. I mean id have no problem imagining Misty or May liking this sort of stuff" he teased back.

She pretended to be offended "Well if you'd rather be here with them..."

Dawn giggled as Ash pulled her into him and locked her lips with his own "Not a chance, there is no one id rather be with than you".

She blushed at his words, and felt her heart beat faster, filling with love. Sighing happily she broke the kiss and leant her head on his shoulder whilst they walked down the que "And there's no one id rather be with than you" she replied.

Ash smiled as they made their way to the front of the line, before finally getting on. The ride was huge and had many long drops, but it was extremely exhilarating. He laughed a few times during the ride as Dawn threw her arms in the air and screamed, usually just before a massive drop. When it finally stopped they ran off to see their photo, and upon finding it on the many screen's displaying each carriage, they found their own and looked at their own expressions. Ash was grinning with his mouth open, his raven black hair blowing around his face. Dawn's hair was trailing behind her and she had her face scrunched up, but a smile on her lips. She thought it was adorable and bought two copies, one for herself, and one for her lover.

After going on a few more rides, they decided to stop and get something to eat. Finding a nice bench in the park area, Ash went off to get them their food, leaving Dawn alone to save their seat. She was really enjoying herself, she and Ash got along so well, and enjoyed the exact same things, so the day had so far been full of love and laughter. Smiling happily she was eagerly awaiting his return, so they could continue their little 'date'.

"Well, if it isnt Dee Dee!" A high voice from behind her suddenly announced.

Her eye's went wide and she quickly turned around, only to see Kenny stood behind her, grinning. '_Oh no_'she didnt really know how to react to him, not since their last encounter when she had sent him the gentle rejection note. "Hey Kenny, what brings you out here?" She asked.

He walked over to her and stood just in front of the bench, giving her his usual, undivided attention "You know I could ask you the same thing _Dee Dee_" he laughed slightly as her face contorted in annoyance.

"I keep telling you, STOP CALLING ME DEE DEE" she yelled at him, only causing him to laugh louder.

"Im actually here for the Musical, although I never expected to find you here. After you told me you were too busy to travel with me, I assumed you wouldnt of had time for an event like this" he raised his brow slightly.

"Well, even I need to take a break sometimes" she replied weakly, and he clearly didnt buy it. '_Come on Ash, where are you_?' She mentally pleaded, its not that she didnt like her childhood friend anymore, but knowing how he felt about her just made it awkward.

"Well you know, now that we are both here, maybe I could... take you... to the Musical?" he asked her a slight blush appearing on his face.

Dawn sweatdropped, hoping he would of taken the hint in the note she left him, apparently that wasnt the case. She sighed, and smiled weakly, decided to let him down gently "Uhm, sorry Kenny, but im kinda already going with someone..."

His face turned to stone, clearly he had been expecting her to say yes "Oh... ok. Who are you going with?" He asked her, his voice brittle and hurting.

How could she word this without hurting him? She could hardly lie to him since she would probably see him at the Musical anyhow. She opened her mouth to speak just as Ash came back with their food. '_Thank Arceus_'she thought.

"Lunch is served!" He shouted over to her, running with their burgers and fries on a plastic tray. He finally noticed Kenny as he came closer, his eye's narrowing slightly. "Hey Kenny, didnt know you were here".

Kenny turned to Ash, then back to Dawn, noticing her blush. "Your going with him?" He asked her incredulously.

Ash placed the tray of food down on the table, then stood next to his girlfriend, putting an arm around her, and glaring at the other male. The whole stance said 'She's mine so back off'. The act actually surprised the brown haired teen, a look of shock and hurt on his face, mixing with the anger in his eye's. "But, I dont understand... the note?" he asked her.

"I was trying to tell you that I wasnt interested in _us_, Kenny. I like you as a friend, nothing more". The bluenette's words visibly stung him. He'd obviously interpreted the note in entirely the wrong way, and Dawn wished she'd been more direct.

"So you two are...?" He asked, getting angry. He'd never really liked Ash, the raven haired teen had always spent so much time with Dawn and he hated how close they'd got.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend? Yes we are" Ash replied harshly, sitting down next to the bluenette and taking her hand in his own.

"Kenny, I love Ash, and we're happy together. You and I were never meant to be, and ive never liked you that way, so please drop it. I still consider you a close friend" she tried to calm the situation down. She knew how strong Ash got when he was angry and his Aura flared up, and didnt want Kenny to leave the park in a body bag.

Apparently those were the wrong things to say, as Kenny's face twisted in a hurt rage "Never meant to be?! Ive known you since we were in kindergarten Dawn! Ive loved you since then! And you choose to be with him?!" He roared and took a swing at Ash.

Instantly Ash's aura blazed around him, and before Dawn could even realise what was happening, it was over. In a few seconds, Ash had dodged the punch, stood up and swung around to Kenny's side, before smacking him square in the jaw with an Aura powered fist. Ash had moved like lightning, his Aura giving him incredible reflexes and strength. Kenny had gone sprawling across the field, before landing face first in the dirt, coughing and swearing under his breath.

Even Ash himself looked surprised at the events, looking down at his hands in amazement.

Kenny stood up, holding his jaw in pain as blood painted his teeth red. The anger was still in his eye's but now serious agony was mixed into his features. Figuring that trying to end this physically was a waste of time, he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and threw it towards Ash. It spun and snapped open before Empoleon emerged in a flash of white light. The Emperor Penguin Pokemon looked around confused, seeing no opponent and no battlefield, he turned around towards his trainer "Empol?".

"Use Hydro Cannon on Ash!" He roared.

The Pokemon's eye's widened, thinking he'd misheard, before turning back towards the raven haired trainer with confusion and doubt written on his face.

"Kenny stop! Dont do this!" Dawn cried from the side, she didnt want him to get hurt anymore than he had been. He didnt know that he'd be crushed in a second in a Pokemon Battle.

"Listen to her Kenny, you dont want to do this. You'd get destroyed in an instant if you did. I wont let anything happen to Dawn" Ash said firmly.

"Do it now Empoleon!" The brown haired teen roared at his starter, who looked towards Ash apologetically before building up the powerful attack in his mouth.

Ash sighed, then picked a Pokeball off his belt and threw it forward.

Empoleon unleashed his attack, and everyone that had gathered round in the nearby area gasped in shock. Dawn watched in horror as the powerful ball of water went straight towards her lover, only for it to stop harmlessly against a powerful barrier of darkness.

In front of Ash, Darkrai floated protectively. It looked across at Kenny and Empoleon with anger.

Kenny's face registered a new emotion, astonishment. He and Empoleon stood there, eye's wide and stock still in shock, not able to process what Ash had just called forth from his Pokeball.

"Last chance Kenny, stop this madness now" Ash told him calmly, not losing his cool.

"Please listen to him Kenny!" Dawn pleaded.

The brown haired teen looked at her, and saw that she was never going to be his. She was Ash's now, and nothing he would do could change it, feeling the anger build him within again, he turned to what he saw as the source of his pain. "Use Hydro Cannon again!".

Empoleon looked at him sadly, but was forced to obey, and began building up immense amounts of water energy within his mouth. He pressurized it until it reached a critical point, and then used all his strength to launch it forward, towards the Legendary dark type.

Shaking his head, Ash simply ordered "Darkrai, Dark Pulse. Maximum power".

Darkrai nodded, "_As you command, Master_" it spoke telepathically to Ash, and built up a large mass of dark energy between it's hands, the amount was far larger than normal and it quickly grew to terrifying proportions. Satisfied that it had enough, Darkrai grunted and sent two extremely powerful chain-like beams of darkness towards the incoming attack and its sender.

The two attacks met. The Hydro Cannon briefly holding its own against the Dark Pulse, before being obliterated utterly. Unopposed, the dark type move slammed into Empoleon, causing him to cry out in agony, and sending him hurtling back into Kenny. The brown haired teen grunted in pain as his starter collided with his stomach, and the two of them went flying through the air, smashing into a nearby bench, splintering it with the force of the impact.

Kenny laid there, surrounded by the wooden fragments that was once a bench, pain flaring up in his back and from the small cuts all over his skin. Empoleon was laid on top of him, swirls for eyes and severely bruised.

Dawn ran over to Ash and he brought her into a hug, holding her close as she tried to fight back the tears. She didnt want this to happen, she didnt want people to get hurt because of her, especially not her own friends.

"It's alright, it's over" Ash soothed her, stroking her blue hair and keeping her in his strong embrace. She nuzzled her head against his chest for comfort and let his words wash through her, calming her down. He quickly freed an arm and returned Darkrai. Enough people were gathered around as it was, he didnt need more coming to see the Legendary.

Raising his head slowly, Kenny saw them. Dawn had run over to Ash to be comforted instead of coming to see if he was alright. It hurt, he had to admit. But he also saw that he had been an idiot to try and attack Ash. He made a mental note to apologise to them both. He knew for certain now that he and Dawn were never going to be, and he sighed internally, but at least now he could try and move on.

Officer Jenny came running into the park a few minutes later, turning to the embracing couple "What happened here? I just got a report that there was a Pokemon Battle and that one of the trainer's was ordering attacks on humans" she glanced around and noticed Kenny flattened under Empoleon, on top of a ruined bench.

Ash was about to respond to her, but someone from the gathered crowd did first.

A young male with bleach blonde hair stepped forward and pointed towards Kenny's form "That's the guy who was ordering attacks on a human" he said, disgust evident in his tone "The dude over there with the black hair, hugging his girlfriend, was the one who stopped him".

Jenny nodded and noted it down, before coming over to the couple "Thank you for stopping him, who knows what kind of damage could of been done with a nut case like that running around" she nodded to them both, and took off towards Kenny before either of them could speak up.

She pulled Kenny out from under his fallen Pokemon, before returning it for him and apprehending his Pokeballs. Placing his hands in cuffs, she began to escort him away, only for Ash to stop her "He's actually not a bad person, he just lost himself to his anger. Please go easy on him".

She looked at him surprised but nodded "Alright sir, but regardless of the reason, ordering attacks on humans is against the law. He will have to be punished in some way".

Ash nodded seeing no other way to spare the other male and stepped back, Dawn held his right arm close, as Jenny escorted Kenny back to the station.

"Why wouldnt he listen?" Dawn asked him when they were alone again.

"I dont know, he still liked you, and seeing you with me sent him over the edge" Ash sighed.

Dawn nodded sadly, really wishing she had been more direct in her note. If she had all this could of been avoided.

"Alright, let's get back to our little date, and try not to let this ruin it" Ash said smiling at her reassuringly.

She looked up at him and smiled back before they both went back to their wooden table to have their lunch. As usual Ash ate his like he hadn't eaten in months and Dawn could only giggle at him.

After another two or so hours in the park, they had both had enough and decided to do something else, despite the incident with Kenny, they had both managed to forget about it and have fun.

Exiting the park, Dawn suddenly remembered something and a gleam of excitement sparkled in her sapphire eyes. "I know let's go to that street that Elesa's Gym is built on! I want to go check out all those stores!" She said looking at him.

That wasnt exactly Ash's idea of fun, but the look on Dawn's face made his decision for him "Sure, I think I can rememb-" he was cut off as his bluenette girlfriend grabbed his arm and pulled him along at a quick pace.

"No need to worry! I remember where it was!" She called out to him, eagerly making her way back to the shopping street, picturing all the amazing new outfits and beauty products she could try.

Ash chuckled '_Of course you do_' he thought, trying to keep pace. When Dawn wanted something she could sure move.

They eventually found themselves on the wide street lined with hundreds of fashion and beauty stores, and it was filled with people, mostly girls, and every shop seemed to be packed. It was a feminine shopping paradise, Ash mused, and assumed it was because of Elesa. The super model had certainly made an impact on the city.

Squealing with delight, Dawn quickly took off, with Ash in tow, to the closest shop. She hurried inside and started looking at all the amazing new outfits. Picking out a bunch of her favorites, the bluenette then rushed to the changing rooms to try them on. Ash was left outside on a chair to give her his impression, because afterall, she wanted to look good for him. After changing several times, she could see Ash was getting rather bored, so decided to give him a little treat. Giggling she put on the skimpiest bikini she could find in the store, and stepped out for him to view it "So what do you think?".

He looked up, expecting to see her in another outfit, and was instead treated to the sight of his girlfriend, barely clothed. The bikini left basically nothing to the imagination, only just covering her nipples and lower regions, and nothing else. He stood there gaping slightly, blood trickling out from his nose. Dawn did a twirl, showing off her firm bum, which was now on display, and giggled when she noticed him go hard underneath his pants. "Im taking you like it?".

He nodded slowly, still drinking in her form greedily with his eye's. He'd seen her body naked before, but something about it being just a little bit covered up and teasing him, turned him on immensely. Dawn giggled again and ran back into the changing rooms, and put on her regular outfit, and then proceeded to buy the bikini. The women behind the till raised her brow slightly when she asked to buy it, but didnt say anything. When they walked out the store Ash turned to her "Im not sure im comfortable with you wearing that on any beach we go to, I dont want other males staring at you like that".

Dawn blushed "Aww, would you feel jealous?" She mock pouted, and he blushed, causing her to giggle mischievously, before leaning in close "I didnt buy it for the beach" she whispered in his ear.

His eye's widened and he looked at her, seeing the seductive way she was biting her lip and the deep lust in her sapphire eye's. He swallowed thickly, trying not to have another nose bleed. "I-I l-look forward t-to it" he managed to get out.

The bluenette laughed, Ash could be so adorable at times. She quickly spotted another store that sparked her interest and proceeded to lead them into it.

After browsing through and buying some of the latest beauty products, Dawn looked at Ash and noticed he was getting rather bored, but putting on a brave face for her. She felt rather guilty as this was supposed to be their day, not just hers and decided to do something for him next to make it up to him. Finally exiting the store, she turned to her lover "Alright I think im done here, what do you want to do next? We still have a couple of hours left together".

Ash knew she was feeling guilty by bringing him here, but he honestly didnt mind all that much. If Dawn was happy then, so was he. Even if he had been a bit bored. He decided he'd pick something for them both and quickly thought about what he'd seen in Nimbasa when they walked through it. He grinned as an idea came to mind "I know what we can do, but its a surprise! Come on!" He took her hand in his own and led her through the bustling city streets.

When they got close, he asked her to close her eye's. She did as he requested, and he led her by the hand to where he wanted to go "Ok, now open them".

She slowly lifted her eyelids and was met by the sight of a large Ferris Wheel, one that specialized in rides for couples. Her face lit up and a big smile creased her lips. She turned and hugged her boyfriend tightly "Ash! This is an amazing idea!".

He grinned at her, taking her hand in his own "Come on, lets go get a carriage!" She let him lead her onto the Ferris Wheel, and they were given a carriage all to themselves. There was a few seats around the edges and a bench in the middle. Large open windows surrounded them and would give an amazing view when they reached the top. As they got into the carriage, the door closed and the wheel started slowly moving, sending them up higher and higher.

They sat on the middle bench, enjoying each other's company and the increasingly further view granted by their rising height. "A beautiful ride for a beautiful girl" Ash said turning to face her, his hands taking hers in his own. "I love you so much Dawn".

She locked gazes with him, her sapphire eye's sparkling with emotion, a loving smile on her lips and a slight blush cresting her cheeks "I love you too Ash, more than anything" she then leaned in closer, closing her eye's and pushing out her lips.

Ash mimicked her actions and they were soon in a deep and passionate kiss, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, as she snaked her's around his neck, deepening their kiss. He felt her tongue seeking entrance into his mouth and allowed it, moaning slightly as she licked the roof, then proceeded to tongue wrestle with him. He returned the favor and stuck his tongue into her mouth and lavished the inside of it with attention, his actions causing Dawn to tighten her grip and moan softly.

She was in heaven. This is just what she wanted, time alone with Ash and expressing their love for each other. Her heart was full of love and joy, her cheeks were red with blush. She hadn't been this happy in a while, and was loving just spending time with her boyfriend. When they finally had to separate for air, they realised their carriage was at the top of the wheel, and Nimbasa City was displayed below them in all its glory, painted orange and red in the setting sun, creating a beautiful scene. Dawn gasped upon seeing it and smiled '_Perfect_'. They sat there looking out over the city in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the moment.

"Do you ever think about our future?" She asked suddenly, leaning her head on his shoulder. This caught Ash by surprise, wondering where the question had come from, and assumed she had been giving it some thought recently. "Of course, I have from the moment I realised you loved me" he replied truthfully.

"Where do you imagine us?" She asked, a soft smile on her lips.

"I imagine us in a nice, cozy home in either Pallet Town or Twinleaf, happily married and graced with a little boy and girl, who would chase Pikachu and Buneary around our back garden, dreaming of starting their own journey's" he smiled wistfully at the image.

Dawn pictured a little version of Ash and herself running around their future home, and smiled, enjoying the thought of starting a family with Ash. She hadn't expected him to of thought of this kind of stuff, but was glad he had. "That sound's wonderful. I'd like that too" she replied happily, snuggling up to him as he wrapped his arms around her.

He grinned at her and brought her into another kiss as they watched the sun set over the horizon, and enjoyed the truly romantic setting at the end of their date, blissful in each other's arms.

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

Latias stretched her arms as she got off the plane into the mild night's air of the Unova Region. Bianca followed closely, enjoying the warm breeze that wafted around them. "Wow Lati, look at the size of some of those buildings!" She stared in awe at the sheer scale of Unova's capital.

Latias giggled at her friend "_Keep your tongue in Bianca, people are starting to look_".

Quickly shutting her mouth and blushing slightly, Bianca began walking with her friend along the docks and towards the city, they would have to stay in the Pokemon Center for tonite, and after such a long plane journey, she was ready for a good nights sleep. "So Lati, how does it feel being in a different Region?".

Her friend was looking around in wonder, taking in all the sights and sounds, still not actually believing that after all this time she was outside of Alto Mare. It was truly an exciting feeling and she squealed in delight, happy to see buildings and people she hadn't seen a thousand times before. "_This place is amazing! Thank you so much for bringing me!_".

Bianca giggled "Now who's the one with her tongue out?" She laughed again when Lati blushed slightly and gave her a glare. She nodded towards the city in front of them "We have a big Musical to go watch tomorrow so lets find the Pokemon Center and get some rest".

Latias sighed, hoping they could of explored some more of this new place before having to retire for the night, but she had to admit herself, that the plane journey had tired her. She doubted she would feel better flying herself all the way here, but the thought of a comfy bed sounded great. She nodded towards her friend and they made their way into the city, and took their first steps into the Unova Region.

Finally finding the Center, they booked a room with two beds and collapsed onto the sheets. They both fell asleep quickly and Latias began to dream. Her dreams were pretty much always the same. She was human and happily living as the mate of Ash Ketchum, listening to him tell her that he loved her and hugging her close as they watched their children play. She smiled in her sleep and wondered if she would ever see him again...

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Finally getting back from their date as the sun set, Ash and Dawn met up with their friends in the Pokemon Center. A very happy Pikachu and Piplup came running over to meet them as they walked into the lobby through the double automatic doors.

"Pika pi!" Ash's starter yelled, running up and jumping into Ash's arms, nuzzling his chest affectionately "Chaaaaaaa!".

"Hey buddy, ive missed you too!" He said rubbing behind Pikachu's ears.

"Pipluuuuup!" Dawn's starter ran over to her and she picked him up and held him in a tight hug.

"It's great to see you again Piplup!" She said as she began gently stroking his feathers.

The rest of their friends quickly came over to greet them, "So you two, how did it go?" Iris asked with a cheeky grin on her face.

"It was great! We had a wonderful time!" Dawn gushed, earning a smile from everyone, even May. After what happened with Kenny earlier, she was glad they had resolved their little dispute a little more peacefully.

"It truly was" Ash added with a genuine smile "Thanks for looking after our Pokemon for us".

"It was our pleasure" Cilan bowed "I honestly learned a lot from being with them for so long, you both make excellent partner's for them, and it was a Connoisseur's dream to take care of such happy Pokemon".

"Im glad you both had fun" May said honestly. She may not be able to be with Ash, but she still wanted him to be happy.

"Thank's guys" Ash nodded to them all before adding "So what did you all get up to today?".

Cilan's face darkened as May's and Iris's lit up. "We went shopping! It was so much fun, we got to see all the amazing store's that Nimbasa has to offer and even picked ourselves up some new outfits!" May exclaimed.

Ash looked at Cilan and could see the pain there, and laughed slightly, it was clear that he didnt think it was quite as much fun as the girls did.

"Ash actually treated me to some shopping time aswell" Dawn giggled, remembering the bikini scene. "After that we had the most romantic Ferris Wheel ride!".

Iris and May's faces melted, thinking about the scene in their heads.

"Well if you dont mind guys, we've had a long day and could use the rest for the big Musical tomorrow, so we're gonna head off to bed" Ash told them.

They all nodded in agreement "Yeah, us too, walking around all those shops is more work than you realise, my feet are still aching" Iris added.

"You can say" Cilan added sourly.

They all shared a laugh at that before retreating to their rooms for the night.

Pikachu and Piplup ran over to their corner, getting comfy on their pillows. They too had found it exhausting, following the girls around the countless clothing stores wasn't easy.

Dawn skipped ahead of Ash and stopped in front of the bed, before turning around to face him. He looked at her curiously, wondering what she was up to.

"I feel like I still owe you from earlier, since we didnt exactly do something purely you wanted to do" she said, still looking at him strangely.

"No need to worry, if it makes you happy then it makes me happy" He smiled at her.

She took a few slow steps towards him until she was directly in front of him, placing her hands on his chest, she gazed into his auburn eye's "Then what im about to do, will make you quite happy" she said seductively and bit her bottom lip.

He looked down at her and finally registered what she was saying, his eye's widening slightly before she engaged him in a deep kiss.

**Lemon Scene**

She disengaged from his lips and started grinding her thighs against his. She could feel him going hard against her and giggled slightly at the look of pleasure on his face, before crouching down and grabbing hold of the edge of his pants, pulling them and his boxers down in a single movement. His erect member bounced free and she looked at it hungrily, already feeling herself getting wet.

Pikachu and Piplup simultaneously rolled their eye's, knowing what was about to come, and quickly made their way to the bathroom. They really didnt want to watch.

Placing her soft hand around his shaft, Dawn brought her mouth to the tip and flicked out her tongue, caressing it slowly, sending waves of pleasure through her boyfriend. She started pumping up and down with her hand as she engulfed the head into her mouth and started sucking gently, still giving it her full attention with her tongue, and enjoying his unique taste.

He let out a moan of pleasure, which really turned her on, and she dipped her free hand under her skirt and into her panties, entering a couple of fingers into her already soaking lips, and using her thumb to caress her clit.

As she did this she took her hand off his shaft and put the entire length into her mouth, deep throating slightly, before moving her head back and forth, still lavishing attention on him with her tongue.

Ash moaned again and grabbed hold of her hair, forcing her head into a faster rhythm. She found his dominance extremely sexy and felt herself building up to a climax. "Dawn...im close" Ash said through gritted teeth and she sped up her ministrations, pumping up and down faster with her mouth, eager to taste his seed.

She wasn't disappointed as his face screwed up in utter bliss and he let out a low grunt, before she felt him shoot his load into her. The feeling of him climaxing in her mouth sent her over the edge too, and she exploded around her fingers, soaking her panties with her juices. She then began sucking the rest out of his manhood, like a straw, before finally popping it out of her mouth and licking the head clean with her tongue.

Riding out his pleasure, Ash watched as Dawn removed her soaked panties "Another pair ruined" she giggled, and she was about to start removing her skirt when he stopped her. She looked up at him confused, but gasped in surprise when he picked her up and grabbed hold of her bare cheeks, holding her in place. "Leave it on" he said huskily. She quickly caught on to what he was doing and wrapped her legs around his waist.

She felt his hard member rubbing against her entrance, but thankfully he was in no mood for teasing tonite, and he let her guide it to the correct hole, before thrusting into her. The feeling of their connection was amazing as always, and they both gasped in pleasure, the position they were in adding a new sensation to the mix.

With that, he began thrusting in and out at a steady pace, earning more moans from Dawn, the sound making him all the more horny and speeding him up.

The bluenette felt him thrusting in and out of her at a faster and faster rate and she was loving it. She never felt so complete than when he was inside her, and she found it really kinky that they were doing it with most of their clothes on.

Ash looked down and saw himself entering her repeatedly under the hem of her pink miniskirt. It was a real turn on and he urged himself on, feeling the pleasure growing within him and knew he was close. "Dawn... im..." he panted.

"I... know... me... too" she gasped out, before increasing her moans as he sped up again, Dawn helped by gripping him tighter with her legs and gyrating her hips. She could feel the pressure building in her stomach at a fast rate, and a few thrusts later, she let out a gasp and exploded again. Her inner walls tightened around him and her juices spilled out of her, dripping onto the floor.

Her climax finished him off and he emptied himself inside her, filling her up completely, before pulling out, a waterfall of sperm following him.

They were both panting and gasping heavily and collapsed on the bed next to each other, covered in sweat.

"Amazing... as... usual" Dawn managed to get out, whilst trying to get her breath back from her orgasm.

"Yeah... it... was" Ash panted next to her, feeling as good as he always did after sex. Satisfied and relaxed.

After finally catching their breath's they stripped off of their now sticky clothes, and put on a clean pair of underwear before hopping into bed together, cuddling up close to each other. "A perfect end to a great day" Dawn smiled happily before resting her head against his chest and falling to sleep.

"I couldnt agree more" Ash said before kissing the top of her head affectionately and joining her in sleep.

**Lemon End**

Pikachu and Piplup emerged from the bathroom hearing the noises stop, finding the carpet a minefield of clothing once again.

"I seriously hope they make an egg soon, this constant mating is ruining my sleeping pattern" Pikachu moaned as he made his way back over to his pillow.

"What do you think will happen when the egg comes?" Piplup asked from behind him "Will they stop travelling to raise it until it evolves into a trainer like them?".

Pikachu had to think about that, and just shrugged "Im not sure, i'd think so, but right now im too tired to care".

Piplup nodded agreement as they finally got to their pillows and curled up to goto sleep, both exhausted from having to stay up late again, listening to the sexual moans of their trainers.

**Next - Chapter 18: Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places**

**Thanks for reading this Chapter everyone and I hope you enjoyed the awesome Pearlshippy fluffyness. I decided it would end well with a Lemon and it would fit with the whole Chapter, so there you go another Lemon Scene!**

**As usual thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed and reviewed, your continued support helps keep me motivated and the daily Chapters flowing!**

**Next chapter will most likely be out tomorrow since im addicted to writing this :P**

**Until next time fellow Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	18. Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places

**Hello Pearlshippers! Im expecting this Chapter to be a long one. The big Musical event is finally upon us :P A lot of new character's will be introduced in this Chapter but hardly (if) any will be staying, think of it as a meet and greet of sorts.**

**Well I couldnt finish this in one day, I tried but it wasn't going to happen. I spent all day on it yesterday but still couldn't finish it, and I wasn't about to rush it to get it up in time for my imaginary schedule I set myself. Quality over quantity and I think you'll all agree that's better.**

**Anyway enough out of me! So, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon**

**Ages:**

**Norman : 38**

**Caroline : 36**

**Max : 10**

**Zoey : 16**

**Candice : 18**

**Harley : 22**

**Chapter 18: Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places**

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Cilan, Iris and May were all eating their breakfast as Ash and Dawn joined them, followed by a sleepy Pikachu and Piplup. As usual the couple got up later than everyone else, they all suspected why, but no one said anything. Well... except Iris "Morning _lovers_" she giggled.

The couple turned red in the face and looked around embarrassed, before the ebony skinned girl was curtly smacked on the back of her head by May "Ignore her".

They nodded and grabbed a plate, to go get some breakfast, and returned shortly with their favorites piled up, before taking a seat and joining their friends. "So, today's the day of the big Musical" Cilan stated, trying to remove the awkward tension left by Iris' comment.

"Yeah! Ive been looking forward to it since you mentioned it!" Dawn chirped after swallowing.

"It looks so amazing, and a lot of coordinators have come to watch. It's actually quite the talk in the contest circuit, and a lot of people have suggested bringing contests over here, using this as a bridge-gap" May informed them.

"It would be so amazing if Unova had contests... I admit, after watching your battle im kind of hooked..." Iris admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"Axew" the Tusk Pokemon nodded from her hair.

"Well that would definitely be an interesting ingredient added to our Region's recipe, one which im sure many would approve of" Cilan nodded.

"Well dont get your hopes up, it was just a suggestion. But we can keep our finger's crossed!" May added.

"Speaking of the Musical, what time does it start?" Ash asked as he got up for second's, his first plate of waffles already gone.

Dawn giggled at him "It start's at 6 pm, so we have plenty of time to get sorted and ready".

He nodded back at her and ran over with a giddy smile, as he piled his plate high with food. Everyone sweatdropped and Iris facepalmed.

"Curious, Pikachu can normally keep pace with Ash when it comes to eating, yet he seem's a bit out of it this morning" Cilan noted, fearing there may be something wrong with Ash's starter.

Everyone looked to the small yellow Pokemon. Feeling their stares upon him, he turned his confused gaze back at them "Pika...?"

Dawn sweatdropped and blushed, hoping they wouldnt link this back to her and Ash. Unfortunately, that's where everyone's minds immediately went after noticing Piplup in the same state, and their curious gazes came back to her, noticing her blush. "Ah..." May said awkwardly.

Iris was trying her hardest not to burst out laughing, the bluenette's face was priceless, but a stern glare from Cilan kept her in check. Ash came back with his pancakes, waffles and other assorted goods and noticed the awkward tension, he looked at everyone in turn, noticing different emotions on each face. Confused he asked "What?".

His stupefied look sent Iris over the edge and she burst out laughing, earning a death glare from Cilan and Dawn. May shuffled in her seat uncomfortably and Ash looked at them as if they had all gone crazy, he finally shrugged and focused his attention on his second helping. After quickly destroying his stack of food he sat back patting his stomach, full and satisfied "Well what should we do before the Musical starts?" He asked finally.

The girls all gave him the same, incredulous look, as if he were the dumbest person on the planet. He held up his hands defensively and sweatdropped "What? I was just asking...".

"We still all need to get outfits for tonite, how could you forget that?" Dawn reminded him.

He honestly had, and the idea didnt sound all that pleasing "Cant we just go in what we have?" He asked hopefully.

"NO!" Was his answer from the females at the table, surprisingly even Iris. Admitting defeat he surrendered and shared a pained look with Cilan. There really was no way out of this.

"Come on sweetie, it'll be fun! And you can look super handsome for tonite" Dawn cooed at him, her eye's already going starry at the prospect of dressing him up in a tuxedo. Ash noticed her look and scratched the back of his head, still trying to think of a way out. Unfortunately he didnt have the chance, as the girls decided it was time to go shopping and Dawn dragged him out of the Center, Iris pulling Cilan with her as they made their way to the clothing shops, Pikachu and Piplup running behind them, still a bit tired but able to keep up with the group.

Ash and Cilan shared another look, and sighed, each thinking the same thing '_This is gonna be a looooong day_'.

**Unova Region - Castelia City**

Latias awoke earlier that morning, feeling giddy and energised. She would of loved to have taken to her real form and flown through the foreign air, but alas, she was confined to the ground. Well she would take what she would get, this was the first time she had been allowed outside the borders of Alto Mare and she intended to make the most of it.

Bianca had joined her at the breakfast table looking slightly tired and still feeling the effect's of jet-lag from the plane ride the day previous. "Your energetic this morning" she mentioned as she rubbed her eye's sleepily.

"_How could I not be?!_" She squealed happily "_We're in a different Region! And we're going to see an amazing Musical later today!_".

Giggling at her friend Bianca went and got herself breakfast, the Pokemon Center's here really went all out in the food department, she mused, as she eyed the seemingly endless variety's of delectable's on the buffet table. Deciding she'd have some simple cereal, she poured herself a bowl and walked back over to her now fidgeting partner. "Geez Lati, calm down, we'll be on our way soon enough" she said shaking her head slowly.

The other girl watched her eat impatiently, and she felt her own eye's watching her, urging her on. Sighing under the gaze, she sped up her eating so they could be on their way, Latias had already finished her food before Bianca had awoken. Finally finishing up, Bianca was practically dragged out of the Center by the excited Legendary, a few people gave them curious looks, but just took them for twins and left it at that. Finally outside and in the warm air of the city, Latias looked around with wonder shining in her eye's, before squealing again in excitement and running through the streets, taking it all in and memorizing every detail. She hadn't been this happy in a long time... not since Ash... quickly shaking her head to clear that thought, she resumed her giddy exploration.

Bianca ran after her, trying to keep pace. She knew the other female just wanted to have fun and explore this new land they were in, but she needed to be careful, if anyone found out what she was... "Lati wait up, dont get separated here, id never find you again!" She called out, and her words finally brought the Legendary to a stop, allowing her to catch up.

"_Keep up Bianca! We have to get to Nimbasa! There's so much to see and do an-_".

Silencing her friend with a hand up, Bianca tried to calm her down "Slow down! We have until 6 pm to get to Nimbasa, and you can just fly us over there in no time. Let's take our time and look around a bit while we are here. Who know's when we will get to do this again".

Finally letting her friend's words register, Latias took a deep breath, and calmed herself down, trying her hardest to put a lid on her overflowing excitement. Feeling more controlled she nodded "_Alright Bianca, let's have a look around Castelia! Im sure this city has plenty of amazing things to see and do before we have to leave for Nimbasa!_".

Sighing in relief Bianca nodded "I saw an awesome ice creme shop we could try, its just on the other street!".

Latias' face lit up and she grinned "_Sounds like fun! Let's go!_".

Before Bianca could protest, she was being led by the hand through the streets, her 'twin' eager as ever to see the sights. She giggled at her and allowed herself to be pulled through the crowds and passerby's of the capital, excited herself about everything they'd get to do here.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

Ghetsis was broken from his train of thoughts as a Plasma Grunt barged into his room, before bowing deeply in apology. He was still panting as he relayed his message, quickly snapping a salute. "Lord Ghetsis, im here to inform you that Colress has completed your side project".

A savage grin gracing his face, Ghetsis stood "Thank you for the news, this is most pleasing to hear, but tell me, why are you telling me instead of the Triad, and how much do you know?".

The Grunt paled slightly as the Great Sage neared "W-Well Colress ordered me to tell you, and know about what, my Lord?".

"My 'side project'" he answered simply, drawing ever closer.

Sweating slightly, the man nervously continued "Uhh, I wasnt given specifics my Lord, I just... saw... those four cloaked... things... on the wall..." he visibly shook from the memory.

Sighing, Ghetsis walked over and placed his hands on the other man's shoulders, looking him directly in the eye. "That's unfortunate, I didnt want to have my floor cleaned again".

"My Lord?" The Grunt asked, uncertain and fearful.

The Great Sage simply smiled at him, the savage smile of a predator, before ramming a sharp blade into his throat. The man made a horrible gurgling noise and clutched at the dagger embedded in his neck, before finally losing his strength and falling to his knees, blood pumping from the wound and soaking his clothes crimson, and then he knew no more.

Ghetsis watched with fascination, as the body of the Grunt crumpled up on the floor, his life fluid fountaining out of him.

After letting it pool around his feet, Ghetsis raised his hand and clicked his fingers. At once The Shadow Triad appeared around him, awaiting orders. "Clean up this mess, I must go speak with Colress".

They nodded in their usual eerie unison as Ghetsis abruptly left his chamber and descended down into the Castle proper, his footsteps leaving a trail of bloody prints behind him. Anyone he came across quickly cleared out of his way after seeing his crimson trail, knowing what it meant and not wanting to anger him. Eventually making his way back into the cavernous chamber, he quickly hurried over to the four forms on the wall, they lifted their heads to regard him as he approached.

"Ah so your here to see the results of my work?" Colress called out from behind his consoles, not even bothering to look up. "I must admit the task you gave me for them was quite abnormal, but everything went according to plan. The fusion was faultless and they now await your orders".

Ghetsis was still watching the figures closely, ice blue eye's blazed in the darkness of their hoods as they glared at him. He smirked, satisfied. "What are your name's?" He asked them, voice resonant and powerful.

"Shadoooooow" They all responded together, their voices hollow and dry, resonating with a strange echo. The air becoming cold and _heavy _as they spoke, like a thick layer of ice in word form.

"And whom do you serve?" He asked them still smiling.

"Ghetsissss" their cold, emotionally dead voices responded. The air misted from their breath as they spoke.

A triumphant grin plastered on his face, Ghetsis snapped his fingers again, and once more The Shadow Triad appeared around him. "Unshackle them" He commanded.

They looked at each other in a slight second of hesitation, before doing as commanded and removing the locks and bolts keeping the eerie figures fastened in place.

Once free they stood there, heads hung low and still, awaiting commands. Even the Triad felt unsettled, there was just something, _wrong,_ about them.

Eying each in turn, Ghetsis finally nodded his satisfaction "You've done your job well Colress, im pleased" he said, not even bothering to turn to face the Chief Scientist. "I have a task for you, my Knights of Shadow, you see, there are those that would dare oppose me..." He grinned as their blue eyes flared in anger, wanting to know who had the audacity to stand against their lord, and in turn, themselves. Feeling nothing but the urge to inflict pain and agony upon them, savage smiles appeared on their pale faces...

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Ash stood in front of a mirror, in a rather itchy tuxedo suit. He scratched his chest for what felt like the millionth time as he looked at himself, wearing something his girlfriend has practically forced him into wearing. He didnt understand why he couldnt just wear his usual stuff, but apparently that just wouldnt do for such a big event. At least he wasnt alone in his pain, he mused.

Cilan was stood next to him, in an equally itchy tux, admiring his image. He had also been stood around as the girls took their time in picking out the 'perfect' outfits, bored out of his mind. "I admire the image, but the comfort is really lacking in this recipe" he said turning to Ash.

"Your telling me" the raven haired teen began scratching all over, and just wanted to shed the damn thing and rub his back with sand paper.

Pikachu was stood next to him, looking him up and down, not quite sure what to make of his best friend dressed up so. "Pika pi, pikachu?"

"I dont get the need to wear this either Pikachu, and this itch is driving me insane".

His starter was about to ask further, but was silenced as the girls made their entrance to show off their dresses.

May came through first, wearing a stunning red, form-fitting dress that displayed off her generous curves perfectly. It was held up by the loose knot at the back of her neck, an opening along her right side allowing her long, silky smooth leg's to be seen.

She giggled as Ash and Cilan stood staring at her, not used to seeing May wearing such feminine clothing.

Iris followed her through, albeit a little more hesitant. For once she seemed unsure of herself, not having worn anything like this before, and she drastically needed approval or she swore she'd never wear it again. She wore a white strapless dress with a white rose on the right breast, she had a slight blush on her face from embarassment in being seen so girly.

"You look great girls" Cilan complimented, and Ash nodded in agreement, earning a thanks from May and a shy nod from Iris, although she was smiling, glad she didnt make an idiot out of herself.

The final one through was Dawn, and Ash's jaw dropped upon seeing her. She wore a form-fitting ocean blue dress, flawlessly matching her eye's and hair. It accentuated her curves generously, giving off a deliciously feminine image. Her hair done up in a ponytail, her usual bangs framing her face.

She noticed his awe shocked stare and giggled, giving him a quick twirl "So Ash, what do you think?".

"You look like an angel" he said in a low voice, eye's still fixated upon her form.

Blushing, Dawn thanked him and stood with the other girls, taking their turn to examine the guys.

Piplup walked off from next to his trainer and stood next to Pikachu. He'd seen things when watching the girls get changed, thing's he didnt understand. He had an oddly curious expression as he kept looking at May.

Ash wore a slim fitting black tuxedo, with a white undershirt. It showed off his toned, and lightly muscular body whilst matching his hair perfectly. The entire thing was finished with a black tie tucked under his jacket.

Dawn thought he looked like the most handsome guy she'd ever met, his unruly raven hair somehow enhancing the look, and she had to stop herself from swooning. "You look handsome yourself" she replied to him, trying to control her desire.

Noticing Iris and May lingering their eye's on him a little too long, she snapped her fingers in front of them, and they quickly looked away embarrassed.

Cilan wore another tux, this one was grey with a black tie and white undershirt. The grey brought out his sharp green eye's and hair, making him look smart and handsome, his thin figure somehow seeming bigger in the outfit.

The girls examined him closely, enjoying his entire image, Dawn also noticed that Iris was paying him a special kind of attention... before they complimented them both on looking well.

"Can I take this off now? It's itching like crazy!" Ash complained, trying to scratch the top of his back but failing to reach.

May burst out laughing, and Dawn giggled at him.

"Your such a kid" Iris deadpanned.

Pikachu joined May, laughing, holding his stomach from the giggles.

"Well I have to agree, the comfort is ruined by this rather irritating itch" Cilan added, resisting the urge to do what Ash was currently doing. The need to scratch his entire body was driving him crazy.

"It's alright Ash, you can take it off now, we know it looks good on you" Dawn replied, earning a very relieved face from her lover.

Ash quickly ran back in to the changing room and stripped off the damned itching machine, before putting on his usual outfit. He felt the familiar fabric against his skin and sighed in relief.

Cilan followed suit and did the same, changing out of his tux, and when he was out of sight, gave in to his urge to scratch his skin, moaning slightly.

Both males, back in their usual get up, waited patiently for the girls to change. When they came out, they made their way to the front to buy the outfits they had tried on, before noticing it was already 4 pm, and deciding to head back to the Pokemon Center to get ready for the big event.

**Unova Region - Route 4**

Bianca was holding on tightly to Latias' back as the Legendary was soaring high above the vast desert below them. From this vantage point she could see Castelia City in all its grand majesty behind her, aswell as the fastly approaching Nimbasa.

Nimbasa wasn't as big as Castelia was, but it was still a decent size, even from here she could make out quite a large amusement park with big rollercoasters and a large ferris wheel. She was enjoying the warm breeze as they passed over the golden sand dunes, the sun was strong overhead, but, due to their incredible speed, she didnt feel the heat.

Latias herself was truly enjoying taking her own form again, relishing the wind beneath her wings, and the blow of warm air against her face. Large yellow eye's taking in all the fantastically exotic sight's below her, as Unova spread out as far as the eye could see. So many new things awaited her around every corner, and she wished she could find a way to stay longer and explore them all. But she was happy with just a week and made sure she made the most of it. Flying at this speed, Nimbasa was approaching fast, and with her enhanced eye sight she could already make out the large spot lights and gathering crowds around the large Musical hall. She cooed excitedly.

Hearing her partners excited cry, Bianca realised that she could see the Musical hall already, and decided to try and keep her in check. "Remember to stay cool Lati!" She had to shout over the raging winds to be heard "We will be there soon enough and I dont feel like taking a fall from this height!"

Latias nodded and tried to calm down as the desert flew by underneath them, and before they knew it, they were soaring high over Nimbasa City. People looked like ants from up here and they were swarming around the Musical hall like a moving colony.

Finding a secluded spot just outside the city's limits, sheltered from view by the surrounding tree's, Latias landed and allowed Bianca to dismount before she took her human guise. "_Come on Bianca lets hurry! I dont want to be late!_" She gushed and began to quickly walk towards the city. Sighing the brunette ran and caught up to her.

"We wont be late Lati, its only 5:30. I know your giddy about this but you need to remember to keep calm and not to let anyone know who you are, ok? There will be a lot of people here and it wouldnt be good if they all found out you were actually a Legendary Pokemon" Bianca reasoned again, trying to drive that point home.

"_Would you stop worrying! Ill be fine! Let's just go have some fun!_" She giggled and took off in a run towards the city, Bianca shook her head before laughing slightly, then began running after her friend as they made their way to the Musical, looking forward to an eventful night that was sure to come.

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

Ash, Dawn , Cilan, Iris and May had just finished getting dressed into their new outfits and were finishing up the last few touches to their appearance. Dawn was busy making her hair perfect as Pikachu came running up to Ash, who was resisting the urge to scratch himself, "Pika pi?".

Looking down at his starter he sighed "Sorry buddy, your gonna have to stay here tonite with the other Pokemon. I'd take you with me but they dont allow Pokemon in the theatre, something about it could distract the Pokemon on the stage during their performance".

"Pika..." Pikachu dropped his ears and his eye's fell to the floor. He hated having to stay behind, and didn't like being separated from Ash.

Dawn had just finished her hair and she walked over to them both, noticing Pikachu's dampened mood. "You told him I guess?" Her boyfriend nodded "Well I guess I better let Piplup know aswell".

Hearing his name, Dawn's starter walked over to see what the fuss was about, and gave a curious glance at Pikachu, wondering why he was so down. "Piplup, im sorry but you'll have to stay here tonite. The theatre doesn't allow trainer's to bring their Pokemon in with them" the bluenette explained.

Piplup dropped his head to mimic Pikachu. "Piipluuup" he said sadly

Ash and Dawn shared a glance and nodded, grinning. They each reached into their packs and pulled out their Pokemon's favorite treats.

Pikachu's nose went into the air immediately and his eye's widened, there was only one thing that made that smell...

A bottle of ketchup was presented to him and he grabbed it happily, a large smile creasing his face "Pika!" He exclaimed, before running over to his corner and began lapping at it.

"I haven't forgotten you either, Piplup" Dawn said as she handed him the poffin case.

"Piplup!" He shouted with an expression akin to awe, managing to take his gaze from the case of his favourite poffins, he ran over to join Pikachu in their little corner, opening the case and greedily stuffing as many of the treats into his mouth as possible.

The couple giggled at their starter's before heading out of their room to join their friends. They all met up in the lobby, and with everyone gathered, they all made their way towards the Grand Musical Hall, situated in the north eastern part of Nimbasa City. As they made their way through the bustling streets, they passed many other people similarly dressed, heading in the same direction as they were.

Dawn had her arm linked through his, and Ash could barely keep his eye's off her. He had to admit that her new dress made her look absolutely stunning, not that she wasnt already, but still. She had finished off her outfit with a pair of matching heels. It was mainly for her that he had agreed to wear the damnable tuxedo, even now he had to resist the urge to scratch himself repeatedly.

When they finally reached the Grand Hall, the area was flooded with people. Large searchlights were roaming the clouds and bright lights could be seen flashing through the mass of bodies. Chatter and conversations filled the air with noise, and everyone was talking excitedly about the yearly event about to take place. It was quite the sight to take in, and they made their way to the entrance of the Grand Musical Hall reception area. Purchasing entry at the door, they were quickly ushered through and into the large ornate room.

Hearing a gasp from his side, Ash turned to see Dawn gazing around at it all in awe, and he had to admit the entire place looked rather fancy. Everyone else in their group was wearing a similar expression, and they moved through the gatherings crowds within the reception area, towards a bar of sorts, where you could get a drink before the event started.

Many of the males stood around the room were giving Dawn suggestive looks, but quickly turned their heads away after receiving a death glare from Ash.

"May darling is that you?!" A high pitched voice called as they reached the bar.

The brunette whirled, recognising that voice anywhere. "Harley?" She asked faintly, not really wanting to face the fact he was here.

Ash turned too upon hearing that all too familiar voice, one that he didnt immediately associate with good times. "Harley? I havent seen you for a while...".

He stood there with his usual long purple hair, framing his face and dropping down to his shoulders, but instead of his usual Cacturne uniform he was wearing a flowery green tuxedo, with a white rose in his front pocket. "Ash? Well isnt that sweet that you remembered little old me?" He said bending forward to put his face closer to the raven haired teen.

"And you now have yourself such a pretty little girlfriend? My, who would of guessed?" He asked smirking and letting out a high pitched laugh.

Ash gritted his teeth and bit back a retort, knowing that trying to win in an argument with the purple haired male was next to impossible.

"I didnt know you were even coming Harley, when I last left, you were heading to Eterna City for the contest there..." May spoke up.

"What?! And miss and event like this?! My dear May, what do you take me for?" He asked her, feigning hurt, overdramatically putting his hand over his heart.

Dawn leaned in close to Ash "Sweetie, who is this weirdo?".

Ash chuckled slightly before whispering back "He's a coordinator we ran into in Hoenn, and he's quite... _unique_".

The bluenette giggled at the way he said that last word, expressing what he truly thought of the new arrival.

"Your looking fabulously seductive in that dress May, are we still pining after Ash?" He asked teasingly "Because I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but it looks like he's taken".

May blushed like crazy and started looking around awkwardly, and again Ash tried not to let Harley get under his skin. Everyone else in the group was giving him menacing glares, trying to tell him his presence wasn't wanted.

"Well id love to stay and chat with all my new friends, but ive got so many others to meet! Ta ta!" He said walking away, shaking his hips side to side as he did so.

"I guess he's never going to change is he?" Ash asked askance.

"That would be asking too much" May deadpanned, finally fighting down the blush that had spread over her cheeks.

After they all ordered a drink each, and sat down waiting for the show to start, another pair of familiar faces walked through the doors at the entrance, and upon spotting the group, ran over with grins on their features.

"Dawn!" One of them shouted, drawing the bluenette's attention.

"Zoey! I can't believe your here! I havent seen you since the Grand Festival!" She replied jumping off her stool and running over to embrace the red head in a hug, both of them giggling happily at seeing the other.

"I wasnt expecting to see you either. I heard you hadn't started a new contest circuit, and I didnt know what you ended up doing, its great to see you again though!" Zoey replied.

"Hey Dawn, it's so good to see you!" Candice said from behind the red head.

"Candice! It's been too long" Dawn brought the older girl into a hug, happy to see both her friends again. She took notice that they were both dressed up too.

Zoey was wearing a bright red, strapless dress with black heels, and Candice was wearing a similar one, except it was white like Iris's and she had matching white heels.

Turning to introduce everyone, Dawn continued "I'd like you both to meet Iris and Cilan, our friends from here in Unova, and you of course remember Ash and May".

"It's great to meet you two" Zoey said to the Unovan's before turning to her two old friends "And its nice to see you both again too" she finished with a smile.

"Hey Zoey, same goes for me" Ash shook her hand grinning.

"Me too! The last time I saw you was the Wallace Cup" May chirped.

Candice followed her friends example, and greetings were exchanged back and forth between the group until everyone got acquainted. The two females joined them and took up a stool each on the empty ones to the left of Dawn, and ordered themselves drinks.

Taking a sip of her drink, Zoey turned to the bluenette "So Dawn, what brings you out to Unova? Or are you here purely for the Musical?".

Dawn blushed slightly as she answered "Well... im kinda... here with Ash".

The red head grinned fiercely "I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two!" She laughed as Dawn's blush deepened "So how long have you two been together?".

Regaining her composure somewhat, the bluenette replied "Uhm, almost two weeks".

"Wow, almost two weeks already. Have you shared your first kiss yet?" She asked teasingly.

Dawn sweatdropped '_If only you knew_' she thought. "Err you could say that" she replied awkwardly.

Zoey cocked an eyebrow at the bluenette's response. "What, you've done more already?".

Scratching the back of her head sheepishly, and trying to keep her blush under control, Dawn attempted to change the topic "So what did you end up doing after the Grand Festival?"

"Nuh uh, your not getting out of it that easily" the red head wagged her finger at her.

Sighing, Dawn decided to just rip off the band-aid, so to speak. Leaning forward so her words were for them alone, she whispered "Actually... we're lovers".

Zoey's eye's widened, and she sat back with a blush on her face, looking at Dawn in a whole new light. "Y-You a-are? R-Really?".

The bluenette nodded "Yup, our love was just too strong to resist, and we, err... kinda gave into our desires" she blushed after admitting it, but hoped her friend would now drop the subject.

Glancing over at Ash, who was busy talking with Cilan about something, then back at Dawn, Zoey smiled and finally replied "Wow... well if your both ok with it, im happy for you"

"We are, and thank you" Dawn chirped.

Further conversation was halted as the announcement came through that the Musical was about to start, so everyone stood up and started moving towards the entrance to the theatre hall, joining the torrent of bodies cramming through the doors.

Ash took Dawn's hand in his own and led her through to their seats, he gently lowered her down in to her seat in a gentleman like fashion, and she giggled.

Everyone else took their seats, in the comfy, plush chairs. Ash was sat next to Dawn in the middle of their group of friends, Iris was sat to the far right, with Cilan on her left. Next to him was May and next to her was Ash, followed by Dawn then Zoey, and finally Candice on the far left side.

The large theatre room was slowly filling up with people, and there were thousands of chairs, each one waiting for someone to claim it. They were sat in the middle of a centre row, getting some of the best seats in the house to watch the performance, since they were some of the first through into the hall and it was a first come, first serve deal.

Unknown to the group, Latias and Bianca finally entered the hall at the back, and took a couple of seats in the upper right side as the rest where vanishing quickly. Because of their position everyone hadn't noticed the two new arrivals, but Latias had them, and, more importantly, upon entering the room she had sensed _him_.

She sat in her chair, wide eyed and scanning the room for the love of her life, desperately wanting to see him again. There was just too many people in here though, and trying to locate him was impossible.

Bianca noticed her strange behaviour and quirked an eyebrow, confused "Lati, is there something wrong?".

"_He's here Bianca! I can sense him, but I cant see him!_" she replied cryptically, still frantically looking over the many faces filling the large room.

"Who's here?" The brunette quiried.

"_Ash! Ash is here, and he's here, in this room!_" Latias said, getting giddy with excitement, more so than ever that her crush was actually in the same room as she was.

Bianca gasped, not expecting to _actually_ run into the raven haired teen again, but she smiled. She herself would be happy to see him again, and Lati definitely would. She giggled as she watched her friend twist her neck this way, and that, looking for her long lost love. "Lati, take it easy, you'll give yourself neck strain. If he's in here that means he's watching the show, so we will find him when we get out".

She obviously wanted to keep looking and would of gone down row to row in her search if she could, but nodded frustratedly, and forced herself to sit still and enjoy the Musical. "_Fine, but we'd better not miss him afterwards_".

"Why? Are you going to confess to him or something?" Bianca giggled teasingly as Latias went a bright shade of red, and started playfully hitting her in the arm. The people around them looked at the 'twins' with curious amusement, because to them, it looked like Bianca was talking to herself.

The last seat had finally been taken, and further conversation's were halted as the light's dimmed and the stage lit up, and the big grand performance got ready to begin.

Dawn snuggled up against Ash, leaning over the arm rest that separated each seat, and smiled contentedly, resting her head against his shoulder and waiting for the show to start.

The raven haired teen smiled happily at her, and put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. They were always happiest when together like this.

Zoey glanced over to her right and noticed the couple getting comfy, and she smiled wistfully '_They really do love each other_' she thought, before bringing her attention back to the stage as the show began.

The curtains on the stage opened and a man in a suit and a top hat stood in the center under a spotlight, twirling a cane in his hands, before stopping it on the floor and reaching to the mic on the stand in front of him. "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to tonite's Grand Musical Anniversary Event!" The crowd cheered and clapped at the announcement, before he continued "We have a very special show lined up for you tonite, and we think it's our best yet! So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!" More cheers and applause followed as he bowed politely, tipping his hat, and exited the stage.

The many acts that appeared on the stage were masterfully performed by the many different Unovan native Pokemon, and the crowd really got into it. They had an intermission half way through and Ash had ordered a plethora of snacks, but at least he'd shared. Popcorn, chocolate bars and many other sugary delicacies piled around them they had watched the rest of the Musical chowing into Ash's feast. Dawn as usual found him to be adorable and just giggled as he rammed a chocolate bar into his face so hard he nearly choked, whilst watching the performance on the stage. Many times during the show, Latias poked her head up and had a quick look around, but she could never locate _him_, much to her chagrin. All in all the show lasted around four hours, with a big finale that had everyone on their feet cheering.

With the show over, everyone made their way out of the large theatre hall and back into the reception area. Somehow in the stampede of people rushing out, Ash and Dawn were the first of their group to reach the bar, and they waited there for the rest of their friends to join them.

Ash leaned over whilst they waited "We have a habit of coming out first, dont we?".

The bluenette giggled "Yeah, I guess that just mean's we're the best".

He grinned at her and brought her into a kiss as the others finally reached them. "Get a room you two, we're in public!" Zoey teased running over to them.

"I dont mind showing my love for her in front of anyone" Ash replied, still holding Dawn close, thinking she looked cute as ever with the small blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah but that doesnt mean we want to watch" the red head countered, still grinning cheekily.

"Well knowing that your SO desperate for us to continue..." Dawn added, leaning up to Ash and locking lips with him again, adding her tongue into the mix and moaning slightly when he engaged her's in their familiar wrestling match.

As this was happening, Bianca and Latias finally emerged from the river of people, flowing out of the theatre hall. Latias was immediately scanning the room for any sign of her crush, she could sense him somewhere here, but where was he? Honing in on her senses, she concentrated until she was certain of a general location, and scanned that area intently.

She suddenly froze and went rigid stiff, eye's wide as she felt herself go cold, the blood draining from her face.

The brunette came to her side at once, worried "Lati?! What's wrong?! Are you ok?!" She got no response from the other girl, and wondered what had happened to her. Curiously she followed her gaze and gasped, realising what had put the Legendary in a comatose state.

Ash was indeed here, only he was locking lips... with a blue haired girl. She looked over uneasily towards her friend and noticed that her fists were clenching and a fire was starting to burn within her eye's. Fearing she would do something stupid, and in turn reveal who she really was, Bianca dragged her outside. Once away from the tide of people, she turned to her friend, waving a hand in front of her eye's. "Lati? Are you with me?".

Finally noticing she _wasn't_ staring at Ash kissing some other girl and inside the Grand Musical Hall, Latias slowly lowered her gaze to her friend, feeling the turmoil of emotions within her "_I-I dont k-know, seeing him with her, whoever she is, makes me angry and sad at the same time..._"

Unable to process everything at once, she just fell to her knee's and began sobbing. Bianca brought her into a hug and soothed her quietly "You can't be angry at them Lati, Ash doesnt have any idea of your feelings for him. Afterall he still think's it was me that gave him the goodbye kiss on the pier..."

The fire reignited within Latias' eye's and she quickly stood up, shrugging off Bianca, and strode purposefully back inside the hall. Ash was still stood in the same spot, but the bluenette had gone. Had she imagined the whole thing?

Love clouding her judgement, she decided that, yes, she did. Even forgetting the fact that Bianca had seen them too, she ran over to Ash and tapped him on the shoulder playfully. He turned surprised, and found himself looking into the grinning visage of his old friend from Alto Mare.

"Bianca?! I didnt expect to see you here! How are you?" He said with a happy smile on his face, glad to finally see his old friend from Johto after so long. He left out the kiss, not wanting things to get awkward.

"_Im not Bianca, It's me Ash, Latias!_" She cooed inside his head, still grinning like an idiot.

Upon hearing her voice resonate through his mind, he let out a surprised gasp, then looked her over again "Latias? That's really you?" She nodded frantically, and he grinned "It's great to see you! I honestly thought you were Bianca, your transfo-" he was cut off as she placed her lips against his own, closing her eye's and laying her body against his.

Ash stood there eye's wide and stock still in shock. '_Latias is kissing me?_' He thought incredulously.

Timing has a way of making things worse, as Dawn came back from the ladies room to see the sight, and she was not happy. She ran over and dragged Latias off her lover and stood protectively in front of him "What the hell do you think your doing? That's my boyfriend!".

Latias stood there momentarily shocked, before she looked at Dawn's angry visage, and then ran off crying, realising that no, she hadn't imagined it. Bianca was just heading back in when her 'twin' ran passed her, a trail of tear's following her out. Sighing she realised she'd done something stupid and chased after her into the fading sunlight '_Oh Lati, what have you done?_'.

Ash was still standing there, trying to process exactly just what had happened, and on top of that, the kiss had felt _familiar_. He finally realised why. It was her that had kissed him when he left Alto Mare, not Bianca. Finally feeling his limbs again, he turned his head to the fuming bluenette in front of him and brought her into a quick hug "Calm down Dawn, that wasn't a person, it was a _Pokemon_".

Her face filled with confusion as she looked up at him "A _Pokemon_? But she looked like a human...".

"That was a Latias, one I met and helped during my adventure's in Alto Mare, in the Johto Region. She can transform into a human figure and also turn herself invisible" he shook his head slowly "It seems she has a bit of a crush on me and didnt realise I was with you".

Dawn tried to process that, a Legendary Pokemon had a crush on her boyfriend and kissed him. It certainly wasn't something you experienced every day. "Wow, I dont even know what to make of that. I feel kind of bad now for yelling at her, but seeing her kissing you..." she trailed off.

"I know, dont worry about it. Im sure we will see her again and we can straighten all this out" he reassured her, and she nodded solemnly. Thankfully everyone had been busy at that moment and no one else had witnessed the kiss.

They stood in the lobby as their friends came back from the bathroom or whatever else they were doing ,and waited until everyone was gathered again. "Well, that was a fun experience, shall we head back?" Ash motioned towards the exit.

"Yeah im kinda beat" May yawned, stretching her arms into the air.

Everyone else nodded in agreement and they made their way outside. Thankfully most of the people who had come to watch the Musical had departed, so the surrounding area was only mildly crowded.

"May?!" An older woman's voice called out from behind them as they stepped outside. A big grin spread across the brunette's face, she'd been recognised a lot recently she mused, but this was the first time she felt happy about the person calling her.

"Mom!" She ran over to Caroline Maple, who was stood behind the group on the stairs leading out of the Musical Hall. May brought her mother into a big hug, burying her face into her neck and wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"Im surprised to see you here dear, were you watching the show?" The older brunette asked.

"Yeah we were, im surprised we didn't see you!" May replied, finally pulling back from the embrace and looking up into her mother's face.

Ash had noticed who it was also, and had come running over " Mrs. Maple! Its a pleasure to see you again!" He called out as he approached.

"Ash? It's seems like forever since I last saw you, look how much you've grown!" She said smiling at him.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Uh... thanks, I guess. Were you watching the show? We didnt see you".

"Yes we were, although we arrived rather late, so you probably missed us" Caroline replied.

"Us?" May asked, a large grin spreading over her face again "Does that mean..."

"May!" looking up the steps, the brunette saw her brother and father looking down at her with shocked faces.

"Dad! Max!" She cried out as she ran over to them, bringing them both into a crushing hug. They returned it, surprised but happy to see the young brunette of their family here with them.

"Hey Norman, hey Max" Ash said as he approached them, just as they separated from each other, and they recognised his presence.

"Ash! It's really you!" Max shouted as he ran over to the raven haired teen and brought him into a hug. Ash was slightly surprised but returned it, patting the younger male on the back slowly. "It's good to see you too Max".

Finally releasing his hold, May's brother stepped back "Hey Ash, guess what?! I got my trainer's licence now!" He exclaimed happily, fishing through his pocket and showing Ash his Pokedex.

"Congratulation's Max! I know you've been waiting a long time for this. So tell me who did you pick for your starter?".

The ebony haired boy grinned and pulled out his singular Pokeball, before opening it up and spilling out its contents in a flash of white light. Before Ash stood a rather small humanoid figure with a large, green fringe and two red horn-like protrusions coming from its head "Ralts?" He asked as he came out of his ball.

Doing a double take, Ash realised he'd seen this Ralts before. "Is that the same...".

Max nodded "Yup! This is the same Ralts we saved from Team Rocket. When my tenth birthday came, I insisted that Ralts be my first Pokemon. I made a promise to come back for him when I became a trainer, and so I did. It took a bit of convincing, but Dad and Professor Birch eventually agreed".

Kneeling down in front of the small form Ash petted it's head softly "Hey little guy, its great to see you again! I know you'll be super happy with Max as your trainer, he's an awesome guy".

"Ral ralts" he replied happily, enjoying the fuss.

"It's great to see you again too Ash, I must admit im quite surprised your here, and with May" Norman said after finally walking over, he had enjoyed watching his son reunite with his friend.

"Hey Norman, yeah I gotta say the same for you. How's the Gym? Still one of the toughest in Hoenn?".

The older man chuckled heartedly "Well you could say that, I still get plenty of challengers though! And when he's older im hoping Max will follow in my footsteps".

"You know I will dad, but I want to go see the world first, just like Ash!" He replied excitedly, returning Ralts to his Pokeball.

"Speaking of, have you tried any Gym's yet?" Ash asked him.

Max shook his head slowly "Ive only just got my licence, I didnt turn ten until last week. But im already training hard for my first Gym Battle! As soon as we get home im starting on my own journey!"

"That's great Max! You'll conquer Hoenn and become the Champion in no time" Ash ruffled the younger boy's head softly, causing him to laugh.

Over to the side, May was approached by her mother as the boy's were talking "So May, are you and Ash...?".

The younger brunette's face went red with blush, but she shook her head sadly. "No... we're not. I did tell him, but he's already taken..."

"Oh... Im sorry dear" Caroline said honestly. She knew that her daughter had been after the raven haired teen for quite some time, and seeing them here together, she had dared to hope.

"It's ok, we've come to terms with it" May replied putting on a smile she didnt feel.

They both looked over to the group standing nearby as Dawn, Cilan and Iris finally made their way over to introduce themselves.

"Mom you remember Dawn" The older brunette nodded, "And this is Cilan and Iris, they live here in Unova".

"Hi Mrs. Maple!" Dawn chirped as they approached.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Cilan bowed.

"Hi!" Iris introduced herself, simply and blunt as always.

"Hello again Dawn, it's nice to see you again" Caroline nodded towards the bluenette, before turning to the Unovan's "And its a pleasure to meet you both, any friend of May's is a friend of mine".

The small group of the three male's walked back over to join them, and introductions were again passed around, until everyone was acquainted.

"So tell me Ash, what are you doing out here in Unova? You dont seem like the type to come just for the Musical" Norman asked, chuckling slightly, once everyone had quieted.

"Im here to challenge all the Gym's, and win the Unova League!" He pumped his arm up, earning a laugh from everyone.

"Ah, same old Ash!" Max giggled, happy that, despite his obvious maturity, he was still Ash.

"And Dawn, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked the bluenette, rather curious "Arn't you a coordinator? I wasn't aware they had contests here, are you here purely for the Musical like May?".

She blushed as the entire Maple family, except May, focused their attention on her "Well... Im kinda here for... Ash" she replied trying to stop anymore blood going to her face.

They all looked surprised and turned their eye's to Ash, who was scratching the back of his head sheepishly under their stares, before turning back to Dawn. The fact that, THE Ash Ketchum, had a girlfriend, was shocking enough, but the fact it was Dawn, AND that she had given up her contests for him, was something special to behold.

"Well congratulations you two, you definitely seem like the perfect match" Norman said happily, as the couple stood next to each other and embraced.

Max nodded in agreement with his father, but Caroline gave her daughter a empathetic look, knowing how she felt about the raven haired teen. May noticed and gave her a reassuring smile, which seemed to ease the older brunette somewhat.

"Well it's getting late, we should all head back to the Center" Cilan yawned slightly, it had been a long day and they had done a lot.

They started walking as a now rather large group when a thought suddenly occurred to Ash, "Where is everyone else staying anyhow? We didnt see you guys in the Pokemon Center".

"Candice and I are staying in a hotel near the amusement park, we've been booked in there since yesterday when we arrived" Zoey replied.

"And we are currently staying in a hotel just outside the sports stadiums, it's kind of quiet around there at this time of year, so its nice and peaceful" Caroline answered.

They continued on down the main road leading through the city, the streets were still fairly packed out with people returning back from the Musical event, until they got to a three way crossing. "Well this is where we turn off for tonite, it was great seeing you all again" Norman said as they came to a stop.

"Yeah it was, and Max, I know your gonna be an awesome trainer. We still have that battle reserved for when you feel ready" Ash said smiling at him.

"You bet Ash! Ill make sure I become super strong so we can have a great battle!" The young ebony haired boy replied, grinning fiercely.

"Mom, Dad, Max, it was so nice to see you all again! I've missed you guys so much!" May said, a tear of joy spilling down her cheek.

"Aww honey, we've missed you too, and we're all so proud of everything you've accomplished" her mother brought her into another close hug, quickly joined by Norman and Max. The family embraced as one for a minute before pulling apart, happy smiles on their faces.

With that they parted ways from the rest of the Maple family, waving at them as they disappeared from view. They carried on down the road until they came to the Pokemon Center, and again stopped to part with the other two new arrivals.

"Alright guys, this is our stop" Ash said turning to face Candice and Zoey.

"It was great seeing you both again" Dawn said sweetly, hanging off Ash's arm.

The two girls nodded "Yeah, I still can't believe you two are together, who would of thought Ash Ketchum would get over his denseness" Zoey giggled and everyone joined in... except for Ash.

"Hey! Come on! I wasnt that bad... was I?" He looked around with a pleading face.

"Sweetie... you were pretty bad" Dawn giggled from his side.

Ash hung his head in exasperation as they continued "Keep your kee-eye strong Dawn, just because there isnt contest's here doesnt mean you should stop practicing" Candice winked at her.

"No need to worry! I could never do that to my Pokemon" Dawn replied, yawning.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both, and I give you my best wishes on both of your journey's" Cilan bowed to them.

"Yeah good luck on whatever you choose to do!" Iris added.

"Thanks everyone! See you!" They both called out as they separated from the group, walking back to their hotel, waving as they disappeared into the darkness, the sun finally setting over the horizon.

"Well that's our que to go get some rest ourselves" Ash nodded towards the Center.

Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling quite exhausted from all the day's activities.

Yawning, Dawn giggled "Yeah im tired, what a great day though..."

Looking down as she trailed off, the raven haired teen noticed that she had fallen asleep against his shoulder and was snoring slightly. Smiling at how adorable she was, he gently lifted her up, bridal style, being extra careful not to wake her, and carried her with him as they made their way back to their rooms in the Pokemon Center. As they entered, Pikachu Piplup and Axew came running over to them, happy to see their trainer's again.

"Pika pika!" The yellow Mouse Pokemon, yelled running over. He was quickly silenced when Ash brought a finger to his lips. "Shh buddy, Dawn's asleep".

Pikachu nodded, and he quickly told Piplup and Axew, so they wouldnt make the same mistake he did, and they followed their trainer's back to the room they all shared.

Standing outside their door, Ash nodded goodnight to everyone, before masterfully opening the lock whilst still carrying his girlfriend, and they all slipped inside. Pikachu and Piplup immediately got settled down on their pillows and snuggled up for the night. Dawn was already asleep so no need to worry about them mating!

Ash kicked off his trainer's and slowly walked over to the bed. He glanced down at the sleeping bluenette in his arms, she had her head laid against his chest and her arms pressed up against him. It was the cutest thing he'd seen and he felt his love for her surge through him.

Gently laying her down on the bed, he carefully removed her dress and heels so she could sleep comfortably, before stripping off himself and joining her. When he got under the cover's she rolled over and laid her arms around him, snuggling up close without waking up. Smiling, he kissed the top of her blue head and drifted off to sleep.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

The Knight's of Shadow had been given their first assignment. They moved silently up the cold, stone steps and into the castle proper. Anyone they passed quickly ran for their lives, blood drained from their faces, wetting themselves in terror. The air seemed to drop several degrees around them, and their breath misted as they marched.

They had been clad in plain, black, steel armor. They wore large shoulder plates, resembling skulls and had skull adorned greaves, leg plates, chest plates and gloves, rims of fur around every latch. They still wore large cloaks of black, but it was adorned around their shoulder plates, the hood still up and covering the top halves of their faces in shadow, white hair could be seen from underneath, framing the pale skin of their faces. At their belts hung swords that blazed with the blue energy of ice, and they each had six black Pokeballs strapped to their waist on an iron belt.

Their metallic footsteps could be heard marching down the hallway, the chink of their armor preceding them. Marching in perfect unison, they exited the secretive Plasma castle to carry out their orders...

**Next - Chapter 19: Love and Forgiveness!**

**'Wipes brow' Ok long chapter, but I hope it was a good read. The darker arc is starting to get fleshed out and N will start to star a lot more in the coming chapters.**

**Dont worry I havent forgotten about Zorua, and all the other amazing Pokemon Ash has, and now that this big event is out of the way, I can focus on them a little more. The Snivy/Pikachu/Buneary triangle shall continue!**

**Until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out.**


	19. Love, Latias and Forgiveness!

**Hello Pearlshippers! Thanks for all the feedback, ive received quite a few suggestions to my story that ill consider, but dont worry I wont change anything unless I feel it's the best decision to my work. **

**Special thanks to Dawn Ketchum Fan for the Harley idea!**

**I know this chapter was a two-day one again, but im starting to write longer and longer ones now that the story is getting going, and this extra time im giving myself is purely to stop me burning out. Dont worry you can always expect a Chapter every one - two days from me as I love writing this, but I dont want to burn out and lose interest, so giving myself a few more breaks during these longer writing sessions is healthy :P**

**Not much else to say really so, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 19: Love, Latias and Forgiveness!**

**Unova Region - Nimbasa City**

The sun was greeting the world when Bianca finally found Latias. She was, thankfully, still in her human form, and hiding behind the side of a building. She was sat with her back to the wall, her knee's pulled into her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her tired eye's puffy and red, her cheeks stained with tears. She looked up as the brunette approached, "Oh Lati, what did you do?".

"_I-I kissed h-him,_" she sniffled out, trying to hold back fresh tears that had begun building within her eyes.

Sighing, Bianca sat down next to her "You knew he had a girlfriend, why would you do that?" she asked sympathetically.

"_I d-dont know, I saw him and I... I..._" a tear rolled down her face as she relived last night, and all the confusion and pain. She knew she should have expected this to happen, but she had wanted to see him again so badly...

Bringing her into a hug, Bianca stroked her hair and shh'd her softly "I know Lati, I know." She gently pushed her away so she could look at her, "I think we need to go find Ash and apologise."

Latias looked at her, eye's sparkling "_I-I don't want t-to face h-him. He probably h-hates me._"

"You know Ash, he'd never hate you for something like that. He's probably confused more than anything, and im sure, despite all this, he'll still want to see you," Bianca smiled at her reassuringly.

"_What about h-his girlfriend? She was pretty upset at me..._" She asked unsurely.

Bianca's brow's furrowed. She hoped the bluenette would forgive her friend, but she could understand if she was still angry, after all some random girl had kissed her boyfriend right in front of her... "I'm sure she'll forgive you if you explain yourself and apologise," she said finally, hoping she sounded confident.

Latias studied her face carefully, before finally nodding. They both stood up and Latias had to steady herself, finding her legs slightly weak from exhaustion, and they started slowly walking back into the city.

The brunette was glad Lati had agreed to this, she was sure that Ash would understand, and hoped his girlfriend would too. She knew he'd most likely be staying at the Pokemon Center and guided her 'twin' towards that direction, hoping they'd avoid anymore drama.

* * *

Dawn awoke to find she was in bed, wearing only her underwear. The last she remembered of last night was walking home to the Pokemon Center, then resting her head on Ash's shoulder...

She assumed that she had fallen asleep on her lover, and that he'd carried her back here. She smiled at him happily. He was still sleeping, his black locks of hair falling about his face lazily, and snoring gently. She placed a quick kiss on his forehead before carefully getting up, stepping over his slumbering form, and picking out her outfit for the day.

She had had a lot of fun yesterday, and noticed that her blue dress she'd worn was draped over a nearby chair, folded neatly with her heels underneath, next to Ash's tuxedo. '_He takes such good care of me_' she smiled happily to herself, before reaching into her bag and pulling out her Sinnoh outfit, her new one still in need of a wash, and a fresh pair of underwear. Fully dressed, she sat in front of their mirror and started doing her hair, just as she heard her lover rouse and sit up in the bed.

He looked around sleepily, noticing Dawn wasn't next to him, before finally spotting her doing her hair in the mirror.

"Morning sweetie!" She said turning to face him with a large smile on her face.

"Morning love," he said grinning back, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting up, grabbing his outfit and quickly getting dressed. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long, you looked so peaceful sleeping, so I didn't wake you," she informed him, turning back to the mirror to finish fixing her hair.

He nodded to himself then finished getting dressed by putting on his hoody and cap, before strolling over to the mirror and planting a kiss on Dawn's head, causing her to giggle, and then wondering over to the still sleeping forms of their Pokemon. "Alright buddy, Piplup, time to get up," he said prodding them gently.

"Pika..." his starter opened his eye's slowly, looking up groggily at his trainer. Ash's smiling visage greeted his gaze, and he realised it was time to wake up. Slowly stretching his small limbs he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Piplup did likewise and they both started stretching, preparing for the day's events.

When they were washed and dressed, Ash and Dawn, Pikachu and Piplup, made their way to the cafeteria to, as usual find they were the last ones up out of their little group. Grabbing their plates the couple grabbed their food and took their seats at their usual table, their starter's running over to the waiting bowls of Pokemon food prepared in advance by Cilan. "Morning guy's!" Ash said as he sat down with his pile of pancakes.

"Morning!" Everyone replied, and he started digging into his breakfast with his usual fervour.

"Now that we're all here, im sad to say that im leaving today, to go back to Sinnoh," May said sadly, causing all eye's to dart toward her. "I only came here for the Musical, and I've still got four Ribbons to earn, so after breakfast, ill have to part ways with you guys..." she finished, her eye's glistening with tears.

No one looked happy about this news, and everyone just sat there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. May hadn't been with them long and they all knew she was only staying here temporarily, but they had all come to enjoy having her around, and it was hard to see her leave so soon. "May... we're gonna miss you," Ash said sadly after swallowing.

"Yeah, it was really nice seeing you again..." Dawn added truthfully. Once they had gotten over their little love fued, it was actually nice having her around again.

The brunette seemed a little surprised by this, but nodded thankfully towards her.

"Even after such a short stay, I feel like I've really gotten to know you," Cilan said wistfully. "It's a shame you have to leave so soon".

"Yeah, it was really fun hanging out with you..." Iris finished.

May looked at all their faces in turn, seeing the sorrow there "I'd stay if I could guys, trust me. It's always the best when you travel with Ash" she giggled slightly, despite her mood "But Unova doesn't do contents, and ive already started competing in Sinnoh. But running into you guys here was amazing, and ill always remember our little adventure, however brief."

They all nodded solemnly, and ate their food in relative silence, although it didn't slow Ash down.

Finishing up their breakfast, they all went and packed their things, grabbed their Pokeballs and left the Center, while walking towards the gateway that would lead them back into the dreaded desert, the mood was rather dull, so May decided to try to change it. She didn't want her send off to be so down. Smiling, she grabbed a Pokeball from her belt, before asking "Tag battle anyone?"

Before anyone could question her, she giggled and ran over to a nearby large open field.

Ash knew what she was doing and grinned, pulling his cap backwards before grabbing a ball and running after her, Dawn in tow with a similar smile.

Iris and Cilan shared a glance, but nodded and ran over the rest of the group with grins of their own, this was the perfect way to lighten the mood.

They all reached the field, May already standing at one side with an enlarged Pokeball in hand. Ash decided that for her sendoff, he'd pair up with her, since he hadn't done that for a long time. He ran over to stand next to her, earning a surprised but happy smile from the brunette.

Dawn understood what he was doing and took the other side of the field with Cilan, both of them grinning at their opponent's.

Iris took up her spot as referee, Pikachu, Piplup and Axew lined themselves up on the sidelines, preparing to cheer. "This will be a two on two tag battle with Ash and May on one side and Dawn and Cilan on the other. Send out your Pokemon!"

Launching her already enlarged Pokeball skyward, May called out "Venusaur, take the stage!"

The ball snapped open and spilling out a torrent of white light, materializing into the form of her massive grass type. "Saurrrrrr!" She roared upon appearing. Venusaur was an extremely large, green dinosaur-like Pokemon, with a large flat head, four stubby feet to support its immense body and a large flower sprouting from its back. It had a small tail protruding from its back.

"Wow cool! She's using her Venusaur!" Iris clapped happily.

Ash leaned over to the brunette "Let's make this a grass duo, and show them how it's done!" He held out his hand to her and she grasped it firmly, nodding.

Enlarging the ball he already had in his hand, Ash launched it spinning towards the battlefield, "Snivy! I choose you!"

His Pokeball raced across the open field before snapping open. Snivy materialized in a flash of white light and stood on the field facing her opponent's "Vy snivy!"

"Venusaur and Snivy, a grass type duo, what an interesting recipe," Cilan mused.

"Well I know my choice!" Dawn chirped beside him happily, grabbing a Pokeball from her belt and enlarging it, before launching it towards the two grass types already out on the field. "Quilava! Spotlight!"

Her ball span towards her foe's before snapping open and releasing her fire type from his home. Quilava materialized in a flash of white light and stood, facing his opponent's, ready for battle ."Qui-lava!"

"Well it's time to finish this recipe with a final ingredient!" Cilan exclaimed, grabbing his Pokeball and throwing it up above him. "Pansage! Let's go!"

His ball opened above him, letting the white light within spill forth and onto the field, taking the form of his most trusted partner. "Pansage!" He flexed his small arms upon appearing beside Quilava.

"Three grass types and a fire type, huh?" Iris mused before holding up her hands "This tag team battle between Venusaur and Snivy and Quilava and Pansage will now, begin!" She announced, throwing down her arms.

"Alright May, let's show them what we can do!" Ash turned to his partner with a grin.

"You bet Ash! Just like old times!" She smiled at him, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Turning back towards the battlefield Ash started off with the first command of the battle "Snivy, let's get this going with Leaf Tornado! Aim for them both!"

Taking his lead May quickly commanded "Venusaur! Use Razor Leaf to enhance Snivy's attack!"

Leaping into the air, Snivy began channelling a tornado of razor-sharp leaves around herself, increasing the speed with each turn. "Snivy vy vy vy vy vy!"

"Venu-saur!" May's Seed Pokemon yelled, firing a torrent of similarly sharp leaves into Snivy's growing attack, adding height and speed to the vortex, until it resembled an actual tornado.

Feeling the increase in power, Snivy channeled with all her might, and threw the attack towards her opponent's. "Snivy!" She roared as the powerful twister stormed across the field with deadly purpose.

"Cilan, dodge with dig and attack with me, ill hit them with an Overheat!" Dawn quickly told her partner.

He nodded "Right! Pansage, use Dig to dodge! Then use Solarbeam on Snivy!"

"Quilava use Dig too! Then when your behind them use Overheat on Venusaur!" Dawn commanded her fire type.

"Pan pansage!" Cilan's Grass Monkey Pokemon quickly dug underground to avoid the incoming combination attack.

"Lava!" His partner did likewise, digging quickly down under the earth and dodging the powered up Leaf Tornado.

Narrowing his eyes, Ash saw that their combination had missed its mark, and he noticed two small holes in the ground. Instantly figuring out what they were up to, he smirked, a plan already formulating in his head. "May, they are trying to get off a surprise attack by coming out of Dig underneath us," he quickly informed the brunette and she nodded.

"What's your plan?" She asked him, knowing he could come up with a much better strategy than anyone else in such a short amount of time.

"Power up your strongest attack, and hold it, wait for the ground the rumble, then fire as soon as they appear," he quickly told her.

She nodded her understanding "Venusaur, power up a Solarbeam and hold it! Wait for my command to fire!"

"Saur!" She confirmed, and started quickly gathering sunlight.

"Snivy, prepare a Vine Whip, and watch the ground, as soon as I call it, lash at the area that rumbles," Ash told his grass type.

"Snivy," She nodded and narrowed her eye's in concentration, looking for any sign of movement.

Venusaur's large plant became enamored with a bright white light, and she held it ready to fire, waiting for the telltale sign of the dig attack to surface.

Moments passed and nothing happened, tensions ran high as Ash and May surveyed the battlefield carefully, watching for any movement... There! Their Pokemon noticed it too and prepared themselves.

The ground began to give way and Pansage's head appeared, right behind Ash's grass type. "Now Snivy!" He yelled.

"Snivy vy!" Reacting instantly, she cried out as two powerful vines shot forth from her neck, and whipped around in a strong lash, catching Pansage across the face as he jumped out of his hole. He was hit hard and flew to his side, spittle flying from his mouth and his charging Solarbeam cancelled. Landing hard he slid over the grassy field before finally tumbling to a stop a few meter's away, earning a slight growl from Cilan. He was hurt bad from the impact but still got back up, not out of it yet.

Quilava still had to show his face, and Venusaur was struggling to keep the Solarbeam in check. She was grunting slightly from the strain and her focus was weakening.

That was the moment the bluenette had been waiting for. "Now Quilava!" Dawn called from her side of the field.

From behind the giant Seed Pokemon, Quilava shot forth from the ground and unleashed a powerful Overheat from his open jaw's.

"Venusaur, behind you! Fire quickly!" May shouted.

"Saaaaur!" The grass type roared, after building it for so long the power was immense, and it burst forth from the giant flower on her back, a thundering column of white light that connected with the stream of fire. Upon contact, a massive explosion of power burst forth and sent shock waves through the air and ground. A fierce wind raged, blowing dust and debris out from the epicentre, and a small tremor shook the field.

Ash, May, Dawn and Cilan shielded their eye's from the raging dust cloud, before lowering their hands to see the outcome. The cloud slowly dissipated to reveal Venusaur and Quilava bruised and panting, both taking large amounts of damage from the explosion, but both still able to continue.

All of the Pokemon retook their positions on their respective sides of the battlefield, panting heavily, except for Snivy, who had so far been able to avoid being hit. Everyone knew that the next few attacks would decide this, so it was important to get in the first hit.

Even though it wasn't a contest battle, May was really enjoying herself. The fact that she was partnered with Ash was a nice surprise, and it brought back all the time's she'd battled with him in the past. She didn't realise how much she'd missed it.

Ash was watching his opponents from across the now torn up field. Dawn was leaning over to whisper some kind of strategy into Cilan's ear. He couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy at how close she was to him, but shook it off as trivial. Leaning over to May he decided to go over their plan "The next attack will most likely end this battle. So let's do something a little different," he smiled at her.

A large grin appeared on her face as she listened to a plan only Ash could have come up with, and nodded, knowing what she needed to do. "Got it Ash! Let's win this!" She exclaimed, holding up her hand.

He clasped it and they pulled in, before separating and getting ready to execute their master plan, just as Dawn and Cilan had apparently finished their own.

Dawn had noticed them clasping hands, and felt a little jealous but dismissed it, focusing on the plan she and Cilan had come up with. It was nothing super fancy really, just a combination of Flamethrower and Solarbeam, which if executed correctly, could win them this match.

Nodding at her partner to begin, she waited for her moment to issue the order for Quilava to add his attack to the mix.

"Pansage, use Solarbeam!" Cilan commanded.

"Pansage!" The grass type started absorbing the sunlight into his hair, until it was glowing a bright white light. Upon storing enough power, he channelled it into a sphere in his hands.

"Now Quilava, use Flamethrower on the Solarbeam!" Dawn ordered her fire type.

Building up a mass of fire within his mouth, Quilava opened wide and let the stream of fire issue forth, directly at the swirling mass of light between Pansage' hands. When the fire hit the sphere, it began swirling around it, until it was wreathed in flames.

Seeing it was time to launch their combination, Cilan gave the command "Now Pansage! Flame Solarbeam!"

"Paaaaaaaaaaaansaaaaaage!" He bellowed, and unleashed the powerful attack, wincing slightly as the fire burned his paws.

A blindingly bright beam of white light burst out of the sphere, heading towards its targets, with a stream of fire snaking around it in a coil of fury, before the flames merged with the beam and turned it crimson. The red Solarbeam screamed towards its targets, bristling with power.

Ash was impressed with the combination they had come up with, and no doubt if it connected, would easily win them the match. However he had expected this kind of attack and had no intentions of letting it do so. "Now May!"

She nodded "Venusaur! Jump into the beam whilst charging your own Solarbeam!"

Her mammoth sized grass type roared and began bounding towards the incoming attack, her flower starting to gather the light as she went.

Dawn, Cilan and Iris all let out a gasp of surprise, wondering just what the hell she was doing. The bluenette detected a large hint of Ash in this strategy.

While this was happening, Snivy was making her way across the field, readying her vines for the perfect moment. Thanks to Venusaur's suddenly seemingly insane move, everyone's eye's were directed upon it and no one noticed her, which is what Ash was counting on.

"Now Venusaur!" May yelled. The Seed Pokemon roared, launching herself, plant first into the beam. The colossal amount of blazing energy being directed their way, connected with the flower. To everyone's shock, the attack began to be _absorbed _into the large flower, causing it to glow a fiery orange. Venusaur grunted in pain as the fire part of the attack entered her body, but she concentrated, unwilling to fail now. Eventually the entire Flame Solarbeam filtered into her plant and she stood there gritting her teeth as the flower pulsated wildly with massive amounts of power.

Everyone stood there, mouth's open and eye's wide, unable to process what they had witnessed. Even Pikachu, Piplup and Axew were rubbing their eye's to see if they had seen wrong.

Smiling Ash saw the moment to execute their plan had come "Now Snivy!"

His command broke the stunned silence that had fallen upon the field, Cilan and Dawn realised too late that Snivy was standing rather close to Quilava and Pansage, her vines lashing out towards them.

"Snivy-vy!" She yelled, wrapping them both tightly within the strong green vines, lifting them up, into the air. They gasped in surprise and started squirming, trying desperately to free themselves.

"Now Venusaur! Giga Flame Solarbeam!" May roared.

"VENUSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUR!" The giant grass type bellowed loudly, shaking the field. The flower on her back started glowing brighter and brighter, until it became unbearable to look upon. Upon reaching a brightness rivalling the sun, the light suddenly disappeared before a loud rippling boom issued forth from her back. A colossal beam of red sunlight erupted forth in a blaze of power and shot towards the two struggling Pokemon in Snivy's vines. The beam was so large, and so powerful, that it tore the air as it went, letting off a strange tearing noise. Just as it was about to connect with its target's, Snivy threw them towards it and returned her vines so not to get burned herself.

Everyone watched with rapt attention as the beam closed in, getting ever closer, Quilava and Pansage prematurely wincing from the pain about to be inflicted upon them. Then it connected. Silence filled the air for a brief second, before a large eruption issued forth as it made contact. Quilava and Pansage screamed in pain as the light expanded around them, expanding outward like a sun going nova, before quickly going back in on itself and exploding.

A massive boom filled the air and everyone was thrown off their feet, landing hard on their backs, before getting buffeted by a howling gale and getting hit with a storm of dust and small stones. Pokemon in the nearby tree's flew away in fear and a few passerby's stopped and looked in their direction seeing the billowing cloud of dust and hearing the immense boom.

After a minute, it settled down and the dust started to clear. Everyone slowly got back up to their feet and dusting themselves off, trying to see what the results of the attack were.

There was a huge crater in the field, and all the grass around it for two meter's had been scorched black. Quilava and Pansage were in the centre of it, bodies black and twitching, swirls for eye's. Venusaur was also sprawled out on her stomach, swirls for eye's and burned all over. Snivy was standing to the side, although she looked like she wanted to collapse too, her determination to win keeping her going.

Everyone stood staring at the scene for a while, before Iris finally declared "Quilava and Pansage are unable to battle! The winner's of this tag battle are Ash and May!"

It took a moment for Ash to get over his shock, but after he did, a large smile creased his face. Turning to May, he laughed slightly "Alright May! We did it!"

May found herself filled with an immense sense of joy, and she turned to see Ash's grinning visage looking at her. Lost in the moment she ran over to him and brought him into a hug, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips "Yeah we did Ash," she said in a low husky tone.

Standing there, shocked, he looked down at the brunette to see a happy smile and a slight blush on her face. Before he could ask her what the hell she was doing, she had run over to Venusaur to check up on her. Quickly glancing at his girlfriend, he was grateful to see that she hadn't noticed, as her attention was fixated upon her Quilava. He decided it would be best not to tell her, he didn't want them fighting again.

Shaking his head he made his way over to Snivy, grinning at her, and pulling her into a hug "You did amazing Snivy, im proud of you."

She looked up at him, a smile on her small face "Vy snivy snivy," she said affectionately, nuzzling his chest.

"You deserve a good rest," he grabbed her Pokeball and returned her in a beam of red light.

He walked over to join the rest of his friends as they all returned their Pokemon, "Are they ok?" He asked, approaching Cilan and Dawn.

"They are pretty beaten, but they'll live, a trip the to the Pokemon Center and a good rest and they'll be good to go," Dawn replied, smiling at him. "That last attack seemed like something you'd come up with."

"Yeah im just glad May was able to pull it off, im not used to incorporating other people when I try stuff like that," he replied sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

She giggled at him "You always amaze me, whatever you do." Wrapping her arms around his neck she brought him into a loving kiss, which he returned putting his hands around her waist.

They broke apart as Iris came over, a giddy smile on her face "That last attack was incredible! I've never seen anything like it! It was so powerful and beautiful!"

"Yeah, id use it in a contest if I could replicate it easier," May said, joining them.

"Is Venusaur ok? She was pretty out of it after that last attack," Ash asked, slightly concerned.

"She's tough, don't worry. She took a bit of damage from using an attack with fire type energy, and that, coupled with the explosion at the end, finally knocked her out" the brunette explained, slotting the Pokeball back on her belt.

"What an exquisite battle! The intense flavors of old rivalry and great friendship made quite the recipe!" Cilan said happily, joining the group.

"What a kid," Iris smirked, shaking her head slowly.

"Pikachu! Pika pi!" Ash's starter ran up to him, jumping up onto his shoulder and congratulating him on a great battle.

Chuckling, Ash rubbed behind Pikachu's ears, earning a "Chaaaaaaa," from the Mouse Pokemon. "Hey buddy, thanks for cheering!"

Pikachu stuck his thumb up at him, smiling.

"Piplup pip, pipluuuup" Piplup said sadly, walking over to the bluenette.

"I know we lost Piplup, but it's ok, we had fun and that's all that matters!" She bent down, picking up her starter, grinning at him.

"Piplup," he nodded and seemed a little happier, glad Dawn wasn't feeling down about it.

"Well, shall we get going?" Ash asked, his arm around Dawn's shoulder.

"Yeah, ive got to catch the cruise back to Hoenn," May said sadly.

"Arn't you going back to Sinnoh for the contests?" The bluenette asked, confused.

May nodded as they began to walk back to the pathway "Yup, but the cruise liner im staying on stops at Hoenn, then from there I take a plane to Sinnoh. Because of Unova's location, it was the cheapest way for me to get here."

"Ah," Dawn nodded, understanding.

"May dear!" A high-pitched voice suddenly sounded out from across the field.

Everyone stopped to see the familiar form of Harley walking over to them, in his usual weird way. He was clad in his Cacturne suit, and had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Oh no..." May deadpanned.

"Well well, it seem's you're heading back to Sinnoh aswell, why didn't you ask little ol me to join you? I thought we were good friends." He asked again feigning hurt and looking shocked, before leaning in forward and smirking "Wanted one last shot at getting into Ash's pants, honey?"

May's face went bright red, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Ash growled in anger and glared at the purple haired man in front of him. He was about to retort when Dawn quickly grabbed his and May's arms, and whispered a cheeky plan. She was already annoyed out of her mind with this idiot, and decided to show him up.

Everyone nodding in agreement, they turned back towards Harley who hadn't even noticed them leave, his attention currently focused on a not so amused Iris.

Upon seeing them approach he turned to offer more snide comments, until he saw Ash with his arms around Dawn AND May.

He looked confused, and for once, speechless.

"Actually Harley, Dawn and I share him. So I DID get into his pants," she laughed, and both the girls planted a kiss on Ash's cheeks. The raven haired teen and his two girls smirked at the dumbstruck coordinator.

Realising he'd been made to look like a complete dick, Harley huffed and stomped off, leaving everyone to laugh at his retreating form.

"That was an awesome idea Dawn, thank's for allowing it!" May chirped, still giggling slightly.

"No problem, he was really getting on my nerves. And seeing his face was totally worth it," the bluenette replied, a large smile on her face.

"It was certainly something to see _Harley_ speechless," Ash chuckled. "Well we should continue on," he gestured ahead of them.

Everyone nodded, and they continued on towards the gateway.

* * *

Bianca and Latias were still slowly making their way back towards the Pokemon Center when they heard a resounding boom from the distance. Sharing a curious glance, they quickly took off towards the direction of the noise, to see what was going off. After a few minutes of steady running, they came upon a large open field, just as a familiar group of people were walking off it. '_What are the chances_' Bianca thought amusedly.

Latias froze, suddenly feeling extremely anxious about this, now that she was actually facing Ash and his bluenette girlfriend.

Bianca could sense her friend tense up and looked over to see a building panic on her face. "Dont worry Lati, everything will be fine," she reassured her, gently squeezing her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Latias sighed and nodded, as the two of them approached the group.

Ash turned his attention from the conversation he was having, and looked up to see two very familiar females walking towards them. He saw Dawn finally notice them too, and gave her hand a quick squeeze, hoping she would be ok with the other girl.

They finally approached, and Ash smiled warmly at them "Hey Bianca, hey Lati, how are you?" He asked, being sure not to mention Latias' full name, as Cilan, Iris and May hadn't yet met the Legendary.

"Pikachu, pika pika!" Ash's starter yelled from his shoulder, happy to see his old friend again. Latias nodded in greetings to the small Pokemon.

"We're actually here to apologise, right Lati?" She nudged the girl next to her with her elbow, encouraging her to speak up.

She looked up nervously into Dawn's sapphire eye's, sighing in relief when she didn't see any anger or hatred there, just curious fascination. Reaching out to the bluenette's mind, she spoke "_I'm sorry for my actions last night, I didn't realise Ash had a girlfriend at the time..._"

Dawn gasped in surprise, but easily recovered, her experience with telepathy helping her with the sudden voice intruding into her mind. "It's ok. I'm actually quite curious about you."

Bianca smiled and Latias seemed to perk up a bit, seeing that they didn't hate her for what she did.

Iris, Cilan and May all looked at Dawn confused, wondering what she was talking about.

Latias noticed their reaction and giggled slightly, before nodding at Ash saying that he could reveal who she was to his friends, trusting them.

The raven haired teen smiled gratefully at her, before turning to his friends "Guys, the girl on the right, the one without the hat, is actually a Latias, the Legendary Pokemon, and ive known her for quite some time. I helped her and her brother, Latios, in Alto Mare when I was last there."

Everyone looked at the silent brunette and gasped, eye's widening. May let out a squeal and ran over to her "A Legendary from my home Region!"

"_Uh, nice to meet you?_" Latias asked uncertainly at the giddy brunette in front of her.

Calming herself May smiled at her "Sorry, ive just never met a Latias before, your such a majestic Pokemon..."

Latias blushed at the compliment and bowed her head in thanks.

Cilan came running over next, all starry-eyed "Your really a Latias? And you can transform into a human?"

"_That's right, its nice to meet you,_" she replied warming up the group a little now that she was the centre of attention, although she was still trying, and failing, to control her blush.

The Connoisseur blinked in surprise at hearing her speak inside his head, before his expression of wonder came back "Fascinating! What a wonderous blend of mystery, power and beauty! I must say your quite the Pokemon!"

Latias blushed again "_T-Thank you._"

"Cilan's right, you're so pretty! I'd never of guessed you were a Pokemon, you pull off the human guise very well!" Iris gushed.

"Ax axew!" Her dragon type nodded from her air, adding his compliment.

Her blush deepening, Latias tried to cover her face with her hands.

Bianca giggled at her friend going red under the barrage of compliments. She was glad the couple had forgiven her so easily, and that their friends were so accepting... and curious.

Deciding to get their little 'situation' sorted out Ash spoke up "Guy's, would you mind if Dawn, Latias and I could talk in private for a few minutes?"

Everyone looked at him curiously, but nodded, respecting their privacy, as the three of them walked away from the group. When they were out of earshot they stopped to face each other. Latias was clearly nervous, not knowing what they were going to say to her.

"So Lati, you have feelings for me?" Ash asked bluntly.

She turned bright red, but nodded shyly, cautiously glancing at Dawn.

Sighing, Ash continued "I'm sorry Latias, but I love Dawn, there can't be anything between us." He saw her face drop slightly, but she nodded understanding, as if expecting such an answer." I do find it rather curious that you've fallen in love with me, though. Pokemon, especially Legendary's don't usually fall for humans."

Dawn nodded "Yeah I found that rather curious too, wouldn't you be happier with a Latios?"

Face still bright red, the Eon Pokemon shifted from foot to foot nervously, before transmitting her telepathy to them both "_Well ever since you came to Alto Mare, I... uh always thought you were... cute..._" she said nervously "_And when I saw how determined you were to help Alto Mare, and how far you were willing to go to save us, I... kinda... fell in love... with you._" She blushed furiously before continuing,"_When I learned you were leaving, I came to give you the picture and... ended up... kissing you..._".

The bluenette looked over at her boyfriend questioningly at that last part. He noticed her gaze and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "At the time I thought it was Bianca, since they look the same. Sorry love, you weren't the first girl to kiss me," he teased, chuckling slightly, whilst getting playfully hit by a blushing Dawn.

Latias watched the couple wistfully. They were laughing, they were having fun together, they were _happy_. She still loved him, but, she knew she'd never be with him, it was crazy a thought to begin with; humans and Pokemon don't get into relationships. But seeing them together like this, it was obvious that even that small bit of hope she'd had was nothing more than wishful thinking. Sighing, she smiled, still wanting Ash to happy... even if it wasn't with her.

But she didn't want to leave him either. He had an aura about him, one that drew in other people and, somehow, adventures. No matter what, when you were with Ash, things never got boring. And that's what she missed, just as much as missing him himself, even before the disaster at Alto Mare, she'd had fun just playing with him. A another crazy thought that she had been thinking about since finding out he was here last night, came back into her mind's eye, and after glancing at Bianca, she decided to speak up, "_Ash?_"

Escaping his beating from his bluenette girlfriend, Ash turned towards her, raising a brow.

"_Could I possibly... come with you?_" She asked hopefully, looking directly at him.

Ash and Dawn looked at her, surprised. The Eon Pokemon shifted from foot to foot, anxious under their stares. "You want to travel with us?" The raven haired teen finally asked.

She nodded sheepishly "_I came here to have fun and see new places... I was so bored in Alto Mare, so Bianca offered to bring me here to cheer me up. I was so happy actually being here, and even happier when I found out you were here too... But I don't want this to end! So please can I come with you?_"

The couple shared a look, before nodding "Of course Lati! It'd be great to have you with us again, I certainly missed you after we left Alto Mare!" Ash announced happily.

Latias' face lit up and she smiled widely, before running over and jumping on Ash, bringing him into a hug, squealing in excitement. Dawn giggled at the female eon dragon, thinking she was cute the way she acted.

"Before you get _too_ excited," Ash said, trying to keep his balance whilst being smothered by the Legendary, "You should probably talk to Bianca to make sure it's ok."

She sobered quickly and released her death grip on him, standing back and nodding. "_Alright, shall we go back?_"

"Yeah, we don't have anything to talk about, right?" He asked turning to Dawn.

She shook her head "Nope, c'mon, best not keep everyone waiting."

Bianca looked over to see the three of them returning, Lati had a huge smile on her face as she bee-lined straight for her. Quickly reaching the group, Latias grabbed the brunette by the arm, and pulled her off to the side, "Woah Lati, what's up?"

She turned around to face her, trying to keep herself calm "_I asked Ash if I could travel with him around Unova, and he said yes! Well... providing it's ok with you..._" she announced, turning her pleading gaze up, to look her friend directly in the eye's.

Bianca was not so surprised that her friend had wanted to travel with Ash. She could keep exploring Unova _and_ keep close to her crush, but she couldn't help but feel worried about her. "Lati, I'm fine with it, although id miss you dearly, but I worry what might happen if anyone finds out who you really are..."

"_Dont worry! Ash will protect me, he has a strong team and some really great friends. If there's anyone I trust to keep me safe other than you guys, it's HIM,_" she practically cooed at the brunette, her eye's going all heart-shaped.

Giggling at her friends expression, Bianca then bagan tapping her chin slightly in thought, before finally nodding. "Alright Lati, if this is what you really want, ill not stop you. It's clear how happy this makes you, just promise to keep safe ok?"

The eon dragon leapt at her friend, embracing her tightly, tear's of joy in her eye's "_Thank you so much Bianca! And don't worry ill not do anything crazy... at least not too much,_" she giggled. "_I'll miss you though. Dont worry as soon as we are done here ill come and visit! I do feel kind of bad that im leaving you so soon into our vacation though... _"

Bianca giggled at her, before looking her friend in the face "Dont worry about me Lati, just make sure you have a good time!"

The Legendary smiled at her, before embracing her tightly in a hug once more, then pulling apart and rejoining the group of friends. Latias immediately ran over to Ash and started jumping up and down excitedly in front of him "_Bianca say's I can join you!_" She exclaimed, a huge smile on her lips.

"That's great news Lati," Ash smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

"Pika pika!" His starter gave his own thumbs up from his shoulder, showing his support of their new travelling partner and his old friend.

Ash turned toward Bianca who had rejoined them at a much steadier pace "Dont worry about her Bianca, ill make sure she stays safe."

She nodded at him "I know Ash, if it wasn't you she was travelling with, I probably wouldn't of allowed it."

He smiled gratefully at her, before the over excitable Latias grabbed a Pokeball on his belt, and before anyone could question, tapped it against her forehead, sucking herself inside in a beam of red light. Everyone watched as the ball fell to the floor, shook three times and pinged.

Ash bent down and picked it up, a grin gracing his face, before pulling his cap backwards and doing his victory pose "Alright! I just caught... a Latias!"

Pikachu leapt up in front of him, adding his peace sign "Pika!"

Everyone laughed, including the two involved, before the raven haired teen opened the ball and let out his newest team member, she was still in her human guise. "Welcome to the team Lati!" He smiled at her, holding out his hand.

She smiled happily and shook it "_Thank's so much! It was weird being inside that Pokeball though..._" she shook her head slightly.

Ash chuckled "Dont worry, you can stay out like Pikachu. And since you look like a human, no one will question it."

Latias grinned happily at that prospect, and started twirling around the group giggling. Her new adventure was about to begin! And she got to do it with Ash!

"So what are your plans now Bianca?" Dawn asked, giggling as they all continued to watch Lati celebrate.

"Look at her, you wouldn't think she stayed up all night last night running through Nimbasa..." Bianca giggled slightly, shaking her head. "Well im still here for another five days, so I might as well make the most of it! There's lot's of great stuff to see and do here and I intend to check it out."

"Nimbasa and Castelia have many great sights and attractions, there's plenty of great shop's, amusements and places to eat in both!" Cilan informed her.

Dawn nodded "Ash and I went to the Nimbasa Amusement Park a couple of days ago, it was a real blast!"

"I'll check it out, thank's," the brunette replied.

With that the group started a steady walk towards the city's limit, in the direction of Castelia. Finally coming upon the gateway that would lead them out onto the dreaded route 4 and it's scorching sand dunes, they noticed Norman, Caroline and Max about to pass through and into sweltering heat. "Guys! Wait up!" May called out running over to them.

They all turned, shocked, to see the younger female of their family running at them waving. "May! We didn't expect to see you again so soon!" Caroline called out.

The younger brunette reached her family and embraced her mother in a hug "Neither did I. Where are you guy's going?"

"We're heading back to the Castelia docks, to board our plane back to Hoenn," Norman told his daughter. "Are you guy's heading this way too?" He turned, asking the group.

Ash shook his head "Nah, we're just here to see May off, she's heading back to Sinnoh to continue her contests."

"Well you're certainly welcome to join us on the walk back May," Norman continued, smiling at his daughter.

She nodded before turning back to her friends, tear's welling up in her eye's "Guys... this is where we part ways... im gonna miss you all... so... much..."

As one the group all came forward and embraced May in a send off hug, holding her tightly "We're all gonna miss you too May." Ash told her honestly.

After receiving similar comments from the rest of them she nodded thankfully before wiping her eye's, and turning back to her family.

Seeing his sister so down, Max suddenly had a thought which would make the send off a little happier for everyone, and he admitted to himself that he'd really like to see this too "Hey Dad, Ash, why don't you two have a battle before we part ways! I'd love to see you fight again, it was so awesome the last time!"

Norman raised a brow then asked "Well it's fine with me, how about it Ash?" Looking over to where Ash was stood, he noticed a grin spread across the younger man's features, he chuckled slightly, knowing that Ash was ALWAYS up for a battle.

"You bet Norman! C'mon we can battle just over there," he said pointing towards a small field on their right.

Dawn giggled at her lover, seeing him like this was always fun. It was the Ash she had fallen in love with during their Sinnoh travels.

They all ran over towards the field and Ash and Norman took up opposite side's, with Cilan moving to the spot in the middle to act as an official referee. Everyone else stood at the side line's watching.

"This will be a one on one battle between Ash Ketchum and Normal Maple, please send out your first Pokemon," Cilan announced, gesturing to them both.

"Alright, let's get this started!" Norman said, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt and enlarging it. "Slaking, show them your strength!"

He launched his Pokeball toward's the field, and it span rapidly toward's Ash before snapping open and spilling out a bright, white light, materializing in the form of the powerful Lazy Pokemon. "Slaaaaaaking!" He roared at the sky, pounding his chest furiously.

"Pikachu, pi pika!" Ash's starter yelled at him from his shoulder, pointing at himself.

"You wanna take this one buddy?" He asked, grinning down at the Mouse Pokemon.

Pikachu nodded "Pika pika!"

He was about to issue Pikachu to run forward, when Lati came running over, stopping next to him "_Would either of you mind if I battle against the Slaking? I'd really like a chance to battle under your command Ash!_" She spoke telepathically, a hopeful smile gracing her features.

Glancing down at his starter, Ash asked "What do you say buddy? You asked first."

Pikachu looked at Latias' face, then back to Ash, then back to Latias, then finally back to Ash, before he nodded "Pikachu pi, pika pika pikachu, pi pikachu pikapi," he told the Legendary dragon, giving her a thumb's up.

She smiled and thanked him for his encouraging words, before nodding towards Ash. He grinned "Alright Lati, I choose you!"

She giggled and ran forward onto the field in front of him, earning a rather bemused smile from Slaking and Norman, as well as the rest of the Maple family, excluding May.

"Erhm Ash? I'm not sure you should be battling with one of your friends, that's not exactly legal... or smart," Norman said, scratching the back of his head, wondering just what the raven haired teen was doing.

Ash chuckled and nodded to Lati who giggled, before transforming into her true shape. Everyone gasped as the brunette was engulfed in a white light, before her body changed and transformed. Her arms shrunk and her hands lost their fingers, instead ending in three small claws, her legs disappeared into themselves and two small flipper-like appendages protruded from her body in their place. Her torso enlarged and became bulkier ending in a small tail, with two graceful wings sprouting from her lower back. Her neck elongated, and the tuft's of hair on her head turned white, merging with the newly appearing white and red patterned feather's. Her eye's became larger showing off their unique and beautiful yellow irises, whilst her small cute mouth remained pretty much unchanged. When the light faded, the Legendary Eon Pokemon was floating in front of Ash, instead of his brunette friend from Johto.

Those who hadn't seen her before stood there, mouth's agape and eye's wide at the spectacle that just took place before them. Norman was the first to recover and asked, disbelief clear in his tone, "She was a Latias? And she's your Pokemon?"

Twisting his cap backwards, Ash nodded, grinning "Yeah, she only just joined us, but ive known her for years. She's awesome!

Latias cooed her thanks in front of him, before focusing her intent gaze upon the shell-shocked Slaking opposite her, eager for her first battle under the command of a trainer.

Cilan was still admiring the elegant form of Ash's new team member, before he snapped out of his trance and continued with his referee duties "This one on one battle between Latias and Slaking will now, begin!" He threw his arms down to signify the battle to start.

Getting over his shock, Norman wasted no time in calling out his first attack "Slaking, use Hyperbeam!"

Pounding his chest and roaring his name, the giant ape Pokemon built up a bright yellow ball of power within his mouth. Upon reaching adequate levels to pack a serious punch, he launched it towards the Eon Pokemon in a bright yellow beam of concentrated normal type power.

"Latias, dodge at the last moment! Then use Mist Ball!" Ash commanded quickly, due to his Truant ability and the Hyperbeam after effect, Slaking would be vulnerable for some time after this attack, so all Latias would have to do, was dodge.

Lati nodded her acknowledgement and focused her eye's on the incoming attack, watching it close in rapidly. The bristling powerful beam of energy roared as it approached, and she waited until it was mere feet away from her, before quickly dodging to the left and launching her signature attack.

A large ball of psychic mist shot forth from her open mouth, and it shot towards her opponent, quickly reaching him and engulfing Slaking's entire form. Norman could only watch helpless as the psychic mist caused his Pokemon to writhe in agony as it seared away at his fur, and began choking him with its cloying nature. Due to his ability he couldn't even move out of it. Even though Slaking made up for Truant with large amounts of health and defence, the move had seriously weakened him.

Seeing his opportunity to lay on the damage, Ash continued his commands "Now Lati! Use Psychic!"

"_You got it!_" She spoke in his mind, before her entire form became outlined in a blue aura. It reached a certain brightness before her eye's flashed brightly and she sent forth the psychic mind blast at her opponent.

The air rippled in the space where the attack occupied, and it sped towards the still mist enshrouded Slaking, before connecting with him and, with colossal mental effort on Latias' part, actually _lifting_ him up into the air. Slaking's eye's widened, he wasn't used to being off the ground, and had never fought anything strong enough to actually _lift_ him.

Grunting with the effort, Latias sent him higher and higher into the air, sweat beading on her forehead.

Everyone looked on in astonishment as the giant form of Norman's most powerful Pokemon began to soar into the sky. A most amusing and utterly bewildering sight.

Norman knew that he'd need to do something to get out of this, fast. Even falling from the height his Pokemon was currently at would hurt tremendously, he didn't like to think of the damage dealt if it was slammed down aswell. "Slaking try to use another Hyperbeam to break her concentration!" Norman yelled.

Slaking focused hard and tried his best to fight against the Eon Legendary's formidable mental power, desperately trying to build up the orange ball of power within his mouth. It slowly started to form as he jerked against the invisible force which was still raising him higher into the air.

"Come on Ash! You can do it Lati!" Dawn gave her usual perky cheer from the sidelines.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added his cheer.

"Piplup piplup!" Dawn's starter cried out his support.

"Come on Dad! You can do this!" Max yelled, encouraging his father.

Ash saw what was happening, and narrowed his eye's seeing their window of opportunity to get this attack off before retaliation was slimming. The ball in Slaking's mouth was nearly reaching full size, so he dared not leave it any longer "Now Lati!"

She roared under the strain, and used all her strength to slam Slaking down to the ground as hard as she could, just as the Lazy Pokemon finally had the attack ready.

"Now Slaking!" Norman shouted from his side of the field, watching anxiously as his Pokemon plummeted towards the ground at a frightening pace.

"Slaaaaakinggggg!" He bellowed his name and fired the built up Hyperbeam, unfortunately, due to the speed of his decent to the floor, he unleashed his attack just as his face was mere feet from the ground. Latias had used the last of her power to turn him away from her when she saw that he was about to launch his attack.

The blisteringly powerful Hyperbeam met grass and soil, and exploded in Slaking's face just as his immense form slammed hard into the ground, adding to the already expanding dust cloud and sending out a rippling earthquake in the nearby area. Everyone watching, and the trainer's in the battle, tried their hardest to keep their balance. Being so close to the explosion, Norman began coughing as the dust cloud enveloped him and entered his lungs.

After a minute or two, the cloud settled and everyone looked on anxiously at the results. Slaking was face down in the dirt, he'd sunk a few feet into the soil. He wasn't moving.

It didn't take long for Cilan to declare the winner "The winner of this one on one match is Ash and Latias!" He called out raising up a hand.

"Alright Lati! We did it! You were amazing!" Ash called out, before running up and hugging her long neck tightly.

She blushed from the close contact but nuzzled against him affectionately. "_Thank you for letting me battle Ash, that was truly a fun experience, I haven't battled since you were in Alto Mare._"

Ash released her from his hug and she took her human guise, the smile never leaving her face.

As usual the bluenette came rushing over and gave Ash his victory hug and kiss, before he twirled her around playfully, causing her to giggle.

Norman looked at his fallen Pokemon in slight disbelief, and sighed, holding up his Pokeball and returning him in a beam of red light. He hadn't even managed to score a hit on Ash's Pokemon. "Return Slaking, you did a great job, now take a nice long rest."

Walking over to Ash, Norman held out his hand which the raven haired teen shook "That was a great battle Ash, Latias certainly lives up to her name of being Legendary."

Lati giggled at the side and bowed her head in thanks, blushing slightly.

"Yeah she's great, and thanks for the battle, it's always fun to battle against you!" Ash replied shaking the older man's hand vigorously before letting go.

"That was amazing you guys! Someday im gonna be just as strong as you Ash! Then we can have a proper six on six battle!" Max exclaimed happily. He was really psyched up after watching his Dad and his mentor fight.

"You bet Max! Just let me know when you think your ready and ill give you that battle!" Ash replied, smiling down at the younger male.

After everyone had gathered around and commented on the battle, the group walked back over to the gateway leading into the blisteringly hot desert.

"Well we should be going now..." May said sadly.

Nodding, Ash suddenly reached into his backpack, pulling out a pen and paper before he started scribbling something down, earning a confused glance from the brunette.

He handed it to her and she saw it was a phone number of sorts "What's this?"

"It's my Cross-Transciever number, so if you ever want to contact me, or just have a chat, all you have to do is call!" He replied happily, putting away his utensils.

She smiled warmly at him, holding the number over her heart, a tear of joy falling off her cheek and onto the concrete below '_He's such a wonderful guy, if only I'd of told him sooner..._' she thought wistfully. Giving her love one last hug, she joined her family.

"Good bye guys!" She waved at them, trying to look brave.

"Bye May!" Everyone shouted back, waving with smiles on their faces.

"Bye everyone!" The rest of the Maples added, before the entire family turned and took off through the gateway and into the desert, not without May giving Ash one last longing glance, sighing, and following her kin. '_At least I got to kiss him... twice_' she thought, as she entered the heat of the desert, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"Well we should get going ourselves, we have to make progress towards... where exactly is the next Gym?" Ash asked Cilan as the group turned and walked back into the city.

"I believe the next Gym is in Driftveil City, to the west of here across the aptly named Driftveil Drawbridge," the Connoisseur explained.

"Well then onto Driftveil it is!" Ash exclaimed pumping his right hand into the air, mimicked by Pikachu on the same shoulder. "Pikapi!"

Dawn laid her head on his left shoulder and giggled at his antics.

He put his left arm around her shoulder, smiling down at her and giving her a quick kiss on the lips, as they made their way through the city and towards Driftveil.

* * *

The sun was finally disappearing from over the horizon, the last few rays shining brightly, before Unova was plunged into darkness. The group of once again five friends were camping out in the forest, still making their way towards the Driftveil Drawbridge. Bianca had left them when they had passed the Amusement Park, saying she had wanted to go visit it after such a great review by Dawn, and they had all said their goodbye's to her there.

In the middle of their small camp, a small fire was lit and they were all sat around it chatting among themselves. Three tent's surrounded them, with Ash was sharing with Dawn and Lati wanting to sleep outside in the open.

"The next thing I know, we were back in the present, and Arceus was still going crazy! But eventually our changes in the time line took effect and he calme-" Ash was cut off from his story as blinding pain shot through him, and he clutched his head, grunting in agony.

Dawn, who had rested against him, flinched back and looked over her lover with extreme worry "Ash! What's wrong?!"

As Cilan, Iris and Lati came rushing over, Ash's body began glowing blue with incredible amounts of power, his Aura emanating off his skin and through his clothes. His hands were encased in blue sphere's of power and when he opened his eye's to look around, they were blazing a vivid blue with the power of Aura.

He screamed out and fell to the floor, writhing in agony, Dawn was at his side immediately, fretting over him and not knowing what to do. Cilan and Iris in similar positions moment's later.

"Pika pika! Pikachu!" His starter yelled in panic seeing his master rolling around in intense pain.

A series of images were being burned into Ash's mind and strange places could be seen dancing over his retina's.

Dawn stood in front of him, looking into his eye's despite the pain the glare caused her, and tried to get through to him to find out what was going on "Ash! Can you hear me?! What's happening to you?!"

He tried to respond but when he opened his mouth, he just ended up spitting out blood. To him it sounded as if she was deep underwater, and her image, her beautiful image, was becoming more and more blurry. He finally collapsed under the strain of the power coursing through him and blacked out, the last thing he saw was Dawn's worried face looking directly at him.

**Unova Region - Castelia City Docks**

Riley stretched, happy that the long plane ride from Sinnoh was finally over. It had taken them fourteen hours to reach here, and it felt good just to stand up and let the blood return to his legs, enjoying fresh air. Lucario and Riolu followed him out doing similar actions, relief clear on their faces.

"Alright, now let's stop here for tonite, since it's already late. Tomorrow we will make haste to look for our old friends, and in turn, the next great Aura Guardi-" He gasped as he felt a blinding pain briefly strike his mind.

Lucario was by his side immediately "_Master! What ails you?!_"

The pain passed quickly, and thanks to his years of hard training as an Aura Guardian, he was able to focus his mind quickly. "I felt it, the Aura Guardian we have come here for, his power has awakened, but he's not ready to handle the massive amounts of Aura within him. We must find him quickly before his own Aura tears him apart!"

Lucario and Riolu's eye's widened at this, and looked at Riley with worry.

"I'm sorry but we don't have time to rest now, we must press on immediately." The Guardian said urgently.

They nodded understanding, realising the serious nature of what they now faced. Thing's would be bad for this entire Region if the Aura Guardian they were coming to find died.

Taking off a brisk pace, followed quickly by the two Aura Pokemon, Riley made his way through Castelia City's nightlife in the direction he felt the pain coming from. He just hoped that when they finally found whoever it was, they would still be alive to greet them...

**Next: Chapter 20 - Awakening of an Aura Guardian**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Like I said at the top, im trying to space myself out a bit more reasonably so I don't burn out. My chapter's will be consistently longer and better to read as a result and ill make sure my story never suffer's in quality in the future.**

**In the next chapter's A/N ill be responding to some of your reviews (Mainly those who are guest accounts and I cannot Pm directly).**

**Until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	20. Awakening of an Aura Guardian

**Hello Pearlshippers! I want to start off by answering a couple of your questions and comments:**

**First off as a few of you have pointed out, some of my grammar needs work. I'm fully aware of the issue and have resolved it for this chapter, and in time ill go back and correct all my previous ones to make this story the best it can possibly be.**

**To Calem - White Kyurem will be making an appearance during this story, when will he? You'll have to wait and find out :D**

**To Guest - I know it seems like Ash's legendary team will make him somewhat unbeatable, but as you'll see in this chapter, that isn't going to be the case. And on top of that he will be catching a few more normal Pokemon for his team soon anyhow, since I don't like writing him using Legendaries to cruise through Gym Battles.**

**And lastly as a small announcement, im sorry for posting this a little later, I did stay up until 4:30 am last night proof reading it, but by that time I was only half way through and there were things in this chapter I wanted to make sure I got right, so I delayed it until today instead of rushing it and ruining the experience. I hope I managed to pull off the big battle scene convincingly, drop a review and tell me what you thought after uve read it!**

**So with that said, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 20: Awakening of an Aura Guardian**

**? Region - ?**

He didn't know where he was, and as he strode through the apocalyptic wasteland that stretched as far as the eye could see, he stopped again and looked around for anything recognisable. A landmark, a familiar building, a mountain range... nothing. Not a single thing remained, only... destruction. The structures around him were nothing more than smouldering skeletal remains, and the plants and tree's were scorched black, no life visible within them.

Ash sighed, the air was thick with decay, and the star's veiled by burning red clouds, reflecting the seemingly ever-burning blazes that had consumed the structures of this once proud city. Hearing a crunching sound underfoot, he stopped and bent down to examine what he'd stepped on. Brushing off the thick layer of ash, he gasped in revulsion as the source of the sound revealed itself to be a _human skull_. Tapping it slightly with his foot, he watched in horror as it turned to dust and blew away, the hot wind carrying it across the desolation.

"Where in Arceus' name am I?" He asked the heavens, getting no reply. He glanced around, noticing Pikachu wasn't with him either. That was strange, his buddy never left his side...

Continuing his walk, he found it increasingly harder to breathe, the ash in the air sticking to his lungs and windpipe, slowly suffocating him. He lifted his t-shirt up over his nose and mouth, trying his best the filter out the pollution, quickly turning the fabric black, whilst trying to find _anything_ that could verify his location.

Eventually coming upon the ruins of what looked like an old Gym, he sifted through the rubble, trying to find anything of note. Other than the remains of an old battlefield, and piles of stone and steel, there was nothing. Frustrated he moved over to what was left of a nearby house. The top floor had long since collapsed through and onto the ground floor, and from the burn marks, it looked like the house had suffered the same fate as the rest of the city. Burnt out furniture and electrical equipment was littering the floor; A broken TV set here, a smashed refrigerator there. All of it, like everywhere else, was covered in a thick film of built up ash.

Stepping into the home, he noticed something else buried under the black carpet that permeated everything. With a sick feeling building in his stomach, he saw the skeletal remains of several humans, most of them too small to be adults. "What happened here? What could have caused such terrible things to happen?" Again his question faded away on the wind, unanswered.

He was about to step out and leave the ruined household, when he caught a glint of light in the corner of his eye. Curious, he stepped over towards where he'd seen it, and bent down to examine his find. Reaching down and cleaning away the layer of ash, he noticed it was an old family picture. Picking it up to look at who the people in the photo were, he brought it up to the light... and felt all the blood drain from his face.

Staring back at him, from behind smashed glass and encased within a broken and decaying frame, was his old friend, Brock Stone, and all his family. In the photo Brock was surrounded by his many brother's and sister's, and his mother and father stood behind them. Everyone was smiling, everyone was happy, and looking at the pile of bones under the ash, he realised with dread, everyone in the picture was... _dead_.

The ruined photo fell from numb fingers as reality set in. His question as to where he was, now had a horrifying answer, one which he didn't want to admit was real. He was stood in the remains of _Pewter City_.

"But how..." He asked in disbelief, tear's welling up in his eyes, realising he would never get to see his friend's face again... "Brock..."

Suddenly terrified, he ran. He didn't know where he was going, but he ran anyway, he just needed to be away from all this death and destruction. Seeing Pewter City in ruins, with one of his oldest friends little more than scorched bones, his mind was racing. '_How is the rest of Kanto fairing? What about Pallet Town... My mother?_' Fear gripped his heart at the thought of finding his own home and family in a similar state.

Losing himself to despair, he didn't see the rubble in front of him, and his foot caught, sending him face first into the deep, suffocating layer of ash.

Coughing, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, trying to expel the black substance from his lungs, and cleanse it from his face and skin, which were currently plastered in it.

He realised he was starting to panic, and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe, his mind was racing and his heart was beating twice as fast as normal. He thought he was about to black out, when a blinding light suddenly pierced the hellish red clouds above.

Shielding his eye's from the sudden intense glare, Ash looked up to see a large hole had been punched through the clouds, and a majestic figure was descending down through it. landing on four strong legs, ending in majestic, golden hooves, the new arrival was covered in white fur, with a dark underbelly and streaks of dark fur running up from its head. It's piercing red eyes were limned with green, and two green sphere's were located underneath them. A Large golden wheel with two broken segments protruded from its midsection, four large emeralds encrusted on it.

"Arceus?" Ash asked as the figured stood before him, regarding it intently.

"Ash... I have come to guide you, I owe my Chosen One that much, at least. Afterall you did save my life..." The God of all Pokemon responded in a deep, serious tone.

"Guide me? Do you know what happened here? And how I got here? Last I remembered I was in Unova..." The raven haired teen asked hopefully, desperately needing answers.

Arceus nodded "As you currently know, you are standing in the remains of Pewter City, and im sorry to say the rest of Kanto fairs little better..."

His heart started beating rapidly at Arceus' words, and Ash looked up to match its gaze, tear's welling up in the auburn depths. "My mother? Pallet Town?" His question was little more than a hoarse whisper.

"I'm sorry, but if this comes to pass, not even your home town will be spared destruction."

Hope surging through him, Ash held onto what he had just heard like a lifeline "You mean this hasn't happened yet? I can still stop it?"

"You are the _only_ one who can stop it," it shook its majestic head slightly, and gestured with a hoof towards the ruined city "All this is the result of an imbalance in nature, the very order of the universe gets disrupted, and all that follow's is destruction, a fury that will spread across the entire globe, destroying everything in its path."

"This is a vision of the _future_, the follow-up to the catastrophic events about to befall the Unova Region..." The God Pokemon finished.

Absorbing all the information that was just presented to him, Ash shook his head. "Did you give me this vision? All I remember, was being in intense pain, then I awoke... here."

"I brought you into this vision, yes, but I didn't have anything to do with you blacking out. Your immense Aura is awakening, Chosen One, but your body is unable to handle it, and the power is literally tearing you apart. A Guardian is currently seeking you out, and will help you to control it, and help shape your destiny" Arceus replied.

"My destiny? What am I suppose to do? How do I stop this from happening?" Ash gestured around him, at the once noble city.

"That, Chosen One, I cannot tell you. It is for you to find out, and you alone. But know this, your friends will be instrumental to your success, dont shoulder this burden yourself, for no one can stand alone against the coming darkness... not even you." The God Pokemon's eyes shone brightly, before it continued "Love will be a strong weapon in your arsenal, love for your Pokemon, and for your friends."

"Love... my Pokemon... my friends... Dawn..."

Arceus nodded "Yes, the female will be your biggest pillar of strength, a light in the darkness from which you can draw from, in your greatest times of need."

The burning building's and the red clouds above began to shimmer and waver, losing coherency. Ash began rubbing his eye's to try to focus his vision, but found it didn't help, he curiously looked up at Arceus, to see what was going on.

The God Pokemon was slowly fading away, pulling further away from him. "Our meeting is at an end, I have shown you what's at stake, Chosen One. The rest is up to you..." It looked up, before speaking one final time "Protect the ideal..."

Ash ran after him, extending his arm to try to grab hold of the God Pokemon. He had more questions! He needed more answers! "Wait!" He yelled frantically, still running towards the retreating form of Arceus. He was closing in, his fingers inches away, when he fell. Instinctively closing his eye's to shield them from the ash on the floor, he braced for the impact...

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

... And opened them again, slowly, when it never came, to find himself staring at the blank ceiling of the Pokemon Center.

He blinked, trying to regain a sense of his surroundings. It was night, or at least he was currently in a room without a window or lighting, and the steady beep of a nearby machine could be heard drolling on. He was laid in a bed, typical of the Pokemon Center and had various tubes and wires attached to his body.

Trying to sit up, he felt a jolt of pain run through him, and it forced him to lay back down. He felt stiff all over, like he hadn't moved for days on end, and had some serious pain emanating from within himself, as if all his internal organs had been damaged. Remembering his conversation with Arceus, he feared that that might be the truth. Giving up with trying to sit, he turned his head to get a better look at his room.

It was quite a spacious area, certainly one of the bigger rooms the Center has to offer to their patients, and he felt honored to have been given such special accommodations. It had a few machines next to the walls, which were connected to the several wires and tubes coming from his body, and a few chairs were gathered around his bed. One of those chair's, he realised with a start, wasn't empty.

Dawn was sat next to him, her head resting on his bed. She was fast asleep and snoring quietly, her chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm. Pikachu and Piplup were asleep next to her, snoozing peacefully, and he was glad to see them both too. Looking down, past her chair, Ash noticed a large stack of plates, and figured she'd had her meals here. Her hair was, for once, was unkept and greasy, and he realised she must not have left his side since he was brought here, however long that was.

Feeling his love swell for the bluenette, he wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her, but was again stopped by the blinding pain that accompanied his movements, and he grunted slightly.

Hearing his pained grunt, the bluenette slowly opened her eye's and looked up at her lover. "Ash! Your awake! Oh, thanks Arceus..." Dawn rushed over to him and embraced him tightly, tear's of joy streaming down her cheeks, a relieved smile on her lips. Ash winced, her hug causing him quite a bit of pain, but he gladly returned it, having her in his arm's was worth it, her hair smelling divine after coming from the cloying reek of the dead city.

Pikachu's ear's perked up upon hearing Dawn's excited cry, and he raised his head, to see what all the fuss was about. Noticing that Ash was awake, a large smile creased his tiny face and he leapt up onto the bed, before lunging at his old friend and trainer "Pika pika!"

"Hey, buddy! It's great to see you again too!" Ash exclaimed happily, tightening the embrace to both his partner and lover.

Finally rousing himself up, Piplup looked up at the hugging trio and chirped happily, jumping up onto the bed and hugging his friend around his mid section, before he and Pikachu hopped back down to the side, not wanting to smother him.

Dawn finally pulled back and locked gazes with him "I'm so happy your awake... I thought we'd lost you... you were spitting blood... and... when you... wouldn't wake up... I... I..." Fresh tear's ran down her face, and Ash brought her in close again, gently stroking her hair.

"It's ok Dawn, im here and im not going anywhere, you know I could never leave you," he soothed, feeling her relax slightly in his arms and hearing her sobs lessen. "How long was I out for?"

Keeping her face buried in his neck, she replied shakily "You've been out for three weeks Ash... I was really... getting worried about you... I don't know what I'd do if you..."

He felt a trickle of water on his neck, as her train of thought's brought new tears from her eyes.

"I'm awake now Dawn," he said reassuringly, still stroking her hair softly, before smiling down at her "No need to worry."

Looking up into his grinning visage, she smiled back and felt her fears ebb away. He was back in her arms again, and she wasn't about to let him go.

Ash scratched his chin with his free arm, cringing from the movement, as the stiffness from three weeks of inactivity hit him. "Three weeks huh?" It actually surprised him more than he was currently showing, but he'd mentally resolved to stay strong for his lover "And where are we, exactly?"

"After you... collapsed... at our little camp near the Driftveil Drawbridge, we hurried you to the closest Pokemon Center we could. So you're currently staying in Driftveil City," she snuggled up closer to him gently, so not to cause him more pain, before continuing "Someone else joined us whilst you were out, and he did a lot towards saving you... but ill let him explain that to you in the morning."

Ash furrowed his eyebrow's at that latest revelation, and wondered if it was the Aura Guardian Arceus spoke of. He didn't know whether to reveal his 'vision' to Dawn or his friends yet, he could barely come to terms with it himself, and didn't want them to worry so. Yet they would all be involved in it soon enough... everyone would be, if they didn't stop it. Shaking his head to clear his thought's, he tried to put aside the foreboding dream, and just enjoy himself, snuggling up with the girl he loves, gently rubbing his free hand up and down her arm, as she buried her face into his chest.

They stayed like that for about half an hour, just happy being with each other, more comfortable with the contact than without it. Pikachu and Piplup had resumed sleeping, now knowing their friend was awake and well.

From his view, Ash could see Dawn's Poketch, and noticed it was currently 4:30 am, and he found he was feeling rather hungry. He didn't know how they'd fed him whilst he was unconscious, but his ravenous appetite wasn't satisfied. "Say Dawn?"

She lifted her head up slowly, to look at him "Yeah?"

"Would you err... mind getting me some... food?" He asked sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, and as if on que, his belly growled.

The bluenette giggled "Well its nice to see your back to normal!"

He chuckled back, when his belly growled again.

Rolling her eye's playfully, Dawn stood up "Ok! Ok! I get the message, ill be back soon sweetie," she leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his lips, before hurrying off towards the cafeteria.

When she was gone, Ash leaned over to the small table next to him, and decided to check his Cross-Transceiver for any messages he'd had whilst he was out of it. He saw he'd had a missed call from Professor Oak, and assumed it was about either Cresselia or Latias. Both was the more likely answer, he mused. May had also tried to contact him, over what he didn't know, but the call had only come in recently, in the last few hours to be exact. He briefly wondered what she was doing up so late, but remembered Hoenn was on the other side of the world, and the large time differences between the two Regions.

Deciding he'd call her to find out what she wanted, he dialed in the number she'd used to reach him. The phone rang for a little while, before May's face appeared on the screen "Ash? Oh my Arceus, what happened to you?!"

Reaching up, he realised that his face was covered in bruises, and a few of the wires were connected to his forehead. "I had a little trouble with my Aura..." he said awkwardly, wishing he knew more himself "But im fine now." She didn't look at all convinced, so he quickly changed the topic "I saw that you called earlier, and was wanting to know what's up?"

She still seemed concerned about him, but shook it off for the moment "I thought ud like to know the Wallace Cup will be held in Unova this year!" She exclaimed excitedly "As part of the ongoing negotiations between the Coordinator Comitee and Unova's Council, Wallace has agreed to host his festival in Humilau City in a couple of months!"

"That's great news May!" Ash said happily "I'm sure Dawn will be glad to hear of it, and we get to see you again!" He grinned at her, causing her to blush slightly.

"Speaking of contests, how's it going in the Sinnoh circuit?"

Holding up her Ribbon Case to the screen, she flipped it open to reveal two new Ribbon's placed neatly inside "It's going great as you can see! I'm ahead of everyone, Drew and Harley only have two each!" She exclaimed, putting away her case.

"Awesome! You'll win the Grand Festival this year for sure!" He gave her his famous thumbs up, causing her to giggle, when a question came to mind "By the way, where exactly are you calling me from? It looks like your stood outside."

She grinned at him "Well, Mr. Ketchum, you're not the only one who can go out and get a Cross-Transceiver! After seeing how awesome your's was, I had to get myself one, although it set me back a fair bit..." She finally noticed how dark it was in his room, and literally facepalmed "Sorry for keeping you up, I forgot about the time difference."

"Well I was up anyhow," he reassured her "No need to worry!"

He heard someone shouting for her in the background, and she turned her head, before looking back at him "I gotta go now Ash, but it was great talking to you! Say hi to everyone for me!"

"I will, take care May!" With that the call ended, and he placed his device back onto the small table next to him, the room once again plunged into silence, except for the soft beep of the machines and the gentle snoring of the Pokemon.

He was milling over his 'vision' when Dawn came back in through the door, a plate of pancakes covered in syrup, and a chocolate dessert on a tray in her hands. "The chef's and Cilan were all asleep, so I made this for you myself! Hope you like it!" She chirped as she set down the tray in front of him.

"This all looks delicious!" He was already salivating at the sight of the food, the smell wafting into his nostrils tempting and divine. He glanced up at Dawn's expectant face, and smiled lovingly at her "Thank you for making this for me, I love you so much."

"I love you too Ash, more than anything," she replied happily, before giggling as he started ravishing the stack of pancakes. She was glad that he liked her cooking, but then again, Ash liked pretty much _anyone's_ cooking. The only thing she saw that his stomach wouldn't accept was his home made poffins. She sat on the bed and happily watched him eat, glad to see him back to his old self after watching his unconscious form laying still for three weeks.

He quickly finished his pancakes and dessert, before patting his stomach "That was amazing! You should cook more, I didn't realise you were that good!"

"I'm just glad you like it, ive never really cooked for anyone before... other than myself and my Pokemon," she said scratching the back of her head.

"Oh yeah, May called," he suddenly said, remembering his not-so-long-ago conversation with the brunette.

Dawn quirked an eyebrow "Really? What did she want?"

He grinned at her "She told me the Wallace Cup is being held here, in Unova, in just a few months!"

Her face lit up, and she squealed in excitement "That's amazing! I'll get to compete here! I have to start coming up with new combinations! We have to practise! I have to-"

"Piplup!" Her starter crowed, annoyed, from the chair beside her. He was still trying to get some sleep and didn't take kindly to her shouting...

She looked back at him sheepishly "Oops, sorry Piplup..."

Ash laughed at the scene, finding her excitement adorable. "I'm happy your happy love, but you might want to keep it down."

Giggling she sat down next to him and gently laid against his side "I'm just glad your ok Ash, please don't scare me like that again, ive barely slept for three weeks..."

Feeling guilty he was about to respond, until he heard her snoring lightly. She had fallen asleep against him again and he couldn't help but smile down at her, he kissed the top of her head and let himself drift back into slumber, deciding it would be best to rest up as much as possible so he could get back on with his journey...

* * *

In the streets of the city, nothing moved. No wild Pokemon could be heard, and everything was deathly silent, except for the metallic footsteps of a single, armor-clad figure. The ground underneath his boots iced over as he walked, his ornate sword radiating a chilling blue mist.

It was as if life seemed to avoid him, but he didn't care. He turned his head side to side as he reached a crossing, his ominous ice blue eye's blazing in the darkness of his hood, and his cloak billowing behind him as he made his way towards the Pokemon Center.

He could sense things too; The fear of the people he passed, the terror of the wild Pokemon, and the agony of those too stupid to move out of his path... but most of all he could sense _power_. And large amounts of it were emanating from the Center, so he made his way towards it, sure and purposeful, in search of his target.

As he moved down the path, a group of thugs, wearing leather jackets and head's shaved, noticed him and approached. "Hey, loser in the cape, where do you think your going?" A rather fat man challenged, as he boisterously walked over, throwing and catching a Pokeball as he walked. His friends trailed closely behind him, hollering and laughing, shouting their own various insults.

He regarded them coldly, before dismissing them as insignificant, and continued on towards the Pokemon Center.

The gang leader, he assumed, seemed to take offence from this "Oi, im talking to you asshole, and, I think I quite like your pretty sword," he grinned, gesturing at him, his friends gathered around him, trying to look as intimidating as possible. He counted at least fifteen bodies. "Yeah and I like his cape," a beady eyed, weasel faced man beside him snickered out.

The Knight of Shadow cocked his head to the side, amused. Their attempt of 'intimidation' was laughable, and he could already sense incredible amounts of fear coming from the majority of them. He lifted his head just enough for them to see his glowing blue eyes, and let loose a laugh that was cold and dead, a laugh that chilled you to the bone.

Most of them wet themselves, the smarter few ran, but the leader kept up his macho act and appeared fearless, trying to keep a menacing face "Are you some kind of freak? Look at this guy's, we got ourselves a mutant," he guffawed.

The Knight shook his head. Idiot. He could sense his fear under his weak facade, and walked over towards him.

Before he could utter another insult, he grabbed him around the neck with a single gauntleted hand, and lifted him off the floor.

The fat gang leader kicked and thrashed in his hold, dropping his Pokeball and desperately clutching at his neck, terror clear in his eye's. Everyone who hadn't had the sense to flee, now stood paralysed with fear, as they watched someone lift a 300 pound man with one arm, as if it was nothing.

Without a single word uttered, he looked up and graced the gang leader with a look under his hood. The fat man went pale as all the blood left his face, and a wet stain appeared at his crotch, before the Knight reached for his sword.

Unsheathing it, the sound of metal slicing metal rang out in the utter silence of the streets, until he held it at his side, its blue glow lighting the area around them with its chilling aura. Gracing the gang leader with a horrific smile, he thrust the blade up, through his stomach and organs, slicing through bone and tissue alike with terrifying ease, and out through his back. He heard some of the gang members quiver in fear, letting out squealing gasps at the sight before them.

The fat man's eye's went wide with pain, and blood shot from his mouth in a gurgling red fountain, giving his black skull-adorned plate armor a coat of red paint. The Knight looked upon him with disgust "Pathetic..." his voice echoed, emotionless and cold, his breath misting in the air.

With a yank, he pulled his sword free, blood and guts spilling out of the gaping wound, and onto the now iced over pathway. They steamed in the unnaturally cold air. The blue glow of the blade dimmed by the thick coating of the sticky crimson liquid.

As he looked at the rest of the gang, they were still transfixed with fear, unable to find their legs and run. He smiled at them, reaching up with his free hand, and pulling back his hood. Long white hair fell to his shoulders, framing the pale and dead skin of his face. His eye's were radiating the same chilling blue as his sword, and were rimmed with red skin, large bags sat heavily underneath.

Those who hadn't fled, did now. Most of them screaming for their lives.

He watched them go, satisfied, before pulling the hood back up to shadow his face. Giving one last amused glance at the stiffening corpse at his feet, he walked across a grassy field towards the Center. Behind him the green stalks blackened and died beneath his steps...

* * *

It was around 6 am when Ash awoke again. Dawn was still sleeping gently against him, and Pikachu and Piplup were still snoozing away on their chairs. But... something felt _wrong_. He had a strong sense of impending dread, and knew that something bad was about to happen.

Sensing his distress, the bluenette slowly awoke, looking up at him with confusion and worry "Ash, what's wrong?"

He shook his head "I... I don't know... something is... is... coming," he could feel it, at the edge of his senses, a foulness that defied nature. And he knew, without knowing how he knew, that it was coming... for _him _"We need to leave."

"W-What? Leave? Why? What's happening?" Dawn asked, becoming increasingly worried.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully "But whatever it is, it's not natural... or friendly."

Her eye's widened and she quickly stood, gathering her things and helping him out of bed. He quickly threw on his clothes with her assistance, and strapped on his Cross-Transceiver.

Pikachu awoke suddenly, ears darting into the air as he looked around "Pika?" He narrowed his eye's, he could feel it too, and became increasingly agitated "Pikaaaaaa."

"You sense it too buddy?" Ash asked as he gathered up his things, grunting painfully with each step.

The Mouse Pokemon nodded, still stood in his alert stance, eye's darting around the room suspiciously, scanning for any possible threat.

Piplup finally roused and looked around, confused at the serious nature in the air "Pip?" But even as he asked that, he finally sensed it. The sense of _wrongness_ that was getting stronger by the second. He spared his companions an unsure glance.

"Dont worry Piplup, we're leaving, you'll be ok," Dawn tried to reassure her starter, but was feeling more and more worried herself, that fact that she didn't know _what_ was coming didn't help matters any.

As quick as they could, the group of four made their way out of Ash's room, the raven haired teen biting back profanities as every step felt like agony, and took off down the hallway.

They reached the lobby, and Ash got Dawn to set him down on one of the chairs "Go and get the others, fast!" He told her urgently.

She nodded quickly and hurried off to get everyone up, eager to be away from whatever was coming. She had no Aura like Ash, and she didn't have the senses inherent in Pokemon, but even _she_ could feel it, and it made her shiver.

Thankfully, due to limited space in the Center, Cilan and Iris were sharing a room, and when she burst through the door, they were still asleep on their bunk beds. "Guys! Wake up! We have to go! _Now_!" She added extra emphasis to that last word to spur them on.

They both bolted up awake, wondering what in Arceus' name was happening, but the look on Dawn's face and the urgency in her voice made them swallow their questions. They threw on their clothes and grabbed their belongings, before following the bluenette down the hall. Reaching the lobby, they saw Ash had been joining by their newest companion, and he was already fully dressed, accompanied by his Aura Pokemon. They seemed to be having a conversation as they approached "Riley! I was just about to come and wake you," she exclaimed as she ran over to them.

He turned and nodded towards her "My thanks, but no need, I could sense _it_ too, and it awoke me from my dreams. Whatever is coming has serious power behind it, and Ash is in no state to defend himself."

"I'm fine," Ash protested, but as he tried to stand he winced and fell back "Ok, maybe im not _totally_ fine." He glanced up at Riley, then towards the familiar form of Riolu, their eye's briefly met... before he turned back to the older man. "I do have some questions though..."

Tipping his hat, the older ebony haired male replied "I'm sure you do, but now is not the time, nor the place. I'll answer everything you wish to know as soon as we arn't in mortal danger."

Ash glanced at his friends, his face frustrated and confused, but he nodded. "Alright, let's get moving, whatever is coming... is close..."

Taking either side of him, Dawn and Cilan propped Ash between them and helped him move, as quickly as possible, out of the Center.

"Wait," Ash called as they reached the doorway "Where's Lati?" He asked looking around, failing to locate the brunette.

Dawn nodded to his belt "She decided to was best to stay in her Pokeball whilst you were unconscious, she was quite upset when you wouldnt wake up..."

Ash nodded solemnly, and they stepped out the door, they currently had no time to discuss it further.

Unfortunately they didn't get far, for as soon as they stepped a foot outside, everyone felt a wave of fear and despair wash over them, the air seemed to be thick with it. Shivering Iris glanced around, the morning light couldn't be seen and everywhere she looked seemed unnaturally dark. She focused on the center of the darkness, a place which seemed to be repelling light, and she gasped. Looking directly back at her, were a pair of glowing blue eye's, blazing with malice and hatred.

Hearing her gasp, everyone followed her gaze to see what was wrong. Seeing the eyes, they watched, transfixed as The Knight of Shadow materialized out of the darkness, and made his way towards them, the sense of fear and dread getting stronger with each step he took, and the temperature was dropping rapidly, a frost building on their clothing. He unsheathed his sword, it had the same eerie glow as his eye's and radiated the same hatred, as if it was somehow alive. He moved with deadly purpose towards Ash, grinning under his hood.

Ash suddenly fell from his friend's numb hands, and landed on his knee's. A blinding pain shot through his mind and he grasped his head in agony. The feeling spread through him, through every muscle, every vein, until it finally reached his toes. Suddenly it stopped, and relief washed over him, as he no longer felt the pain of his injuries, in fact, he felt rejuvenated, strong. Curious, he glanced down at his hands and noticed they were surrounded with a fiery Aura.

He stood, and his friends backed away from him slightly, gazing at him with awe and uncertainty. Riley had to resist the urge to bend the knee, and the Aura Pokemon could barely process the image in front of them. The Knight of Shadow's smile fell from his face, and he hesitated. He could sense power, and right now he could sense a whole lot of it.

His entire body radiating an azure glow, Ash matched the Knight's glowing eye's with ones just as bright, and when he spoke, his voice was deep and resonant, thrumming with laden power. "You shall not hurt my friends."

"We shall see..." the Knight rasped out, narrowing his eye's and unsheathing his blade.

Without thinking, Ash powered up an Aura Sphere and launched it towards the figure, and with speed unbecoming of such a bulky figure, he raised his large, ornate blade, and brought it down, slicing the ball of Aura in two.

Changing his grip to two-handed, the Knight charged, the blade seemingly singing as it arced through the air, eager for the taste of blood. Putting up his hands the instant the Knight took a step, Ash summoned a barrier of energy in front of them. Bringing down his sword hard, the strange blade struck the Aura wall with enough force to make the ebony haired teen grunt with effort. A strange keening wail sounded as the two forces battled for dominance, until eventually the wall shattered and the Knight was flung back.

He wasn't given any respite, however, as Ash was instantly upon him, hands blazing with power. He launched a punch at the Knight's wrist, causing the metal gauntlet to shatter and crack from the force of the blow, and more importantly, causing the sword to go flying from his grip. It skid across the floor, finally coming to a stop several meter's away. The second punch was directed at his face, but was blocked by the Knight's other arm. But before Ash could go in for another attack, he was kicked hard in the stomach and sent hurtling through the air, landing hard on his back and grunting in pain.

"Ash!" He heard Dawn shout out with panic and worry, but she sounded a million miles away, and he kept his focus squarely on his opponent.

Examining his shattered wrist, the Knight snarled in pain, and started towards his sword, but an Aura Sphere collided with it, sending it off into the darkness. Turning, he spat, rage clear on his pale face "Fool!" Grabbing the six black Pokeballs on his waist, he launched them up into the air and released their contents.

In front of him materialized Magnezone, Liepard, Hydreigon, Tyranitar, Houndoom and a Conkeldurr.

Everyone present gasped at the sight. It wasn't the fact that it was quite an impressive line up that shocked everyone, but rather the _state_ of the Pokemon. They all looked altered somehow, and the only emotion present on their faces was _rage_. Their skin seemed darker, and an aura of pure darkness was radiating from their skin. Eyes that blazed a blood-red shone from their sockets, as they growled and snarled at their opponents.

"What has happened to them..." Cilan asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, but they are no longer in control of their actions..." Riley said wearily, eyeing each of them in turn. Lucario and Riolu watched with caution, readying their own attacks in case things went south.

"Who would do such a thing?" Dawn questioned, horror visible on her face.

"Monsters..." Iris answered her, gaze transfixed on the sight before her.

"Axewww," the Tusk Pokemon said fearfully from her hair, turning his face away from the monstrosity's arrayed in front of him.

The Knight of Shadow grinned, relishing their reactions to his Pokemon. He reached a mailed fist up to the cloth covering his head, and pulled back the hood. Another gasp shot forth, and Ash's eye's narrowed in rage. His long hair had turned completely white, and his features had become gaunt and pale, but they were still instantly recognisable. Although he never thought to see him again, especially not so soon. "Tobias?" Ash asked, looking at his old rival in disbelief "What happened to you?"

"You happened to me," he grated out in a voice that came from everywhere "This is the price of failure..."

"Team Plasma did this to you?" Ash could feel his anger building at the abomination in front of him with every passing second.

"I had a choice, between this and death. I chose this." He smirked, twisting his face into something hideous.

Filled with disgust and righteous fury, at both Tobias and Team Plasma, Ash grabbed his Pokeballs and launched them forward. They span towards the twisted Pokemon and snapped open, revealing Ash's team in front of him.

Snivy, Gabite, Darkrai, and Latias materialized from their Pokeballs, looking shocked at their foe's. Pikachu ran over from the group and took up a stance with his friends, cheeks sparking threateningly.

"_Ash! You're awake!_" Lati cooed happily, before noticing the menacing, _unnatural _Pokemon arrayed in front of her "_What happened to them?_" she called out in his mind, horror clear in her tone, her eye's wide with shock.

"_That is something id like to know, I sense nothing but primal rage emanating from them, no joy, no love, nothing but anger,_" Darkrai added, raising a brow at its former trainer and his Pokemon. "_And what does HE have to do with it?_" Even though he now resembled a corpse, Tobias was still recognisable.

"I don't know, but we have no time to find out. Right now we have to stop him, no matter what." His Pokemon nodded and focused their attention back on their unnatural opponents.

Riley ran forward "My Lord! We can help!"

Ash found that title amusing, but focused his mind and set up a barrier between him and his friends, to stop them from entering the battle "No." He said flatly "I wont have you getting hurt."

Dawn ran over and started pounding against the blue shield of energy, keeping her from her lover "Ash! Please! Let us help you!" She cried out, her face twisting in anxiety.

Tuning them out, he turned back to his smirking foe "We will end this now, Tobias."

Giving a mental command to each of his Pokemon simultaneously, his immense Aura allowing him to project his thoughts to them, he began channelling his power into their bodies, strengthening their attacks. He felt blood leaking out of his nose, and a coppery taste in his mouth, but ignored it.

Tobias raised a white brow, as Ash's Pokemon became engulfed in an azure hue.

Straining from the effort, he roared "Now!"

Latias growled and shot out a ball of psychic mist from her mouth. The Mist Ball attack was limned with Aura and was twice as large as normal, and it throbbed with power as it sailed towards the unnatural Pokemon, before engulfing the Magnezone, Tyranitar and Conkeldurr, causing them to scream in agony. It seared their skin and clogged their lungs, causing them to clutch at their throats as breathing became impossible.

Darkrai was busy powering up a Dark Pulse. He poured all his hatred against his former trainer into the attack, and coupled with the Aura being channelled into him, it quickly grew, reaching tremendous power. He roared and unleashed it, twin-collums of chain-like dark energy pulsating with a purple and blue hue. The attack connected with the Hydreigon, and slammed it down into the ground, cracking the concrete and ripping a furrow in the road. The Brutal Pokemon bellowed in pain and started thrashing around on the floor, succumbing to its own rage, and sending chunks of rock flying in all directions as it began attacking the floor in its insanity.

"Pikachupi pika!" Pikachu charged, and launched a powerful Thunderbolt, shouting his name and letting lose the power that Zekrom gave him. His attack bolted through the air, blazing a brilliant blue from the added Aura and the stored up lightning, before it struck Houndoom head on, causing the dark/fire type to roar in pain and narrow his red eye's. His fur began to smolder as the electric currents seared his flesh, and he convulsed as the voltage racked his nervous system.

"Snivy vy vy vy vy, Sniiiiivy!" Leaping into the air, Snivy began channelling leaves around herself, the outlines of each leaf blazing an azure hue of power, keening their edge and causing them to make a strange wailing noise as they rapidly cut through the air. After building up enough momentum, she sent it towards her opponents, and it smashed into the thrashing Hydreigon and the Liepard next to it, causing both to cry out as the Aura enhanced leaves sliced at their skin, leaving nasty gashes. Hydreigon's frenzied thrashing became even worse, the pain fueling his madness.

Gabite began building up an orange sphere within his body, and as the draconic power grew, it shot up towards his mouth where it expanded. The surface of the golden orb became covered with a sea of roiling blue Aura, as Gabite planted his feet squarely on the floor. "Gaaaaaaaaaaabite!" Roaring his name in effort, he launched it skyward where it exploded and rained down azure meteors on top of his foe's. The unnatural Pokemon did their best to dodge, but many were hit. Houndoom, just recovering from the Thunderbolt, was hit square in the back, sent hard into the concrete pathway, grunting from the pain. Magnezone, due to his immense bulk, was battered by three of the meteor's, denting his metallic skin and causing him to cry out. Hydreigon was still thrashing on the floor when another meteor hit him in the stomach, making his frenzied thrash's all the more intense, insanity gleaming in his red eye's.

All this happened at the same moment, giving the opposing team no time to react. Ash wasn't even sure how he knew how to command his Pokemon through his Aura, but it came as naturally to him as breathing. The taste of blood in his mouth increased, and he spat a large glob of red onto the floor, feeling pain welling up within him. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he focused on the battle.

Dawn had noticed though, and her worry was increased ten fold "Ash! Please, let us help you! You're hurting!" Her plea fell on deaf ears, and it was becoming increasingly harder for her not to cry, but she forced the tears down, they wouldn't help her now.

A dust cloud had been kicked up as the attacks connected within such short periods of time, and everyone was watching to see the results. Curiously Tobias didn't seem phased by it, and that worried Ash to no end '_Why is he so confident? After those attacks, his Pokemon should be on their last legs..._'

His question was answered a moment later, as the unnatural Pokemon stood where they had before the attack started, completely unphased and snarling angrily. If anything the attacks had just seemed to increase their rage, rather than hurt them.

Yet the damage was there, Ash could clearly see the bruises and gashes upon their bodies, but it was if they couldn't feel it. Whatever had been done to them, it had effected their ability to feel pain.

Narrowing his eye's he prepared for retaliation "Be ready everyone, we have no idea what these _things_ are capable of." He couldn't find it in himself to call them Pokemon anymore.

His team nodded and stood ready, not know what they were about to face, and Ash was wishing he had Cresselia with him here too.

Tobias lifted up an arm, pointing a mailed finger at his opponent, and smirked "Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam on Pikachu, Magnezone use Magnet Bomb on Gabite, Hydreigon and Liepard, use Outrage and Shadow Ball on Latias, Houndoom use Flamethrower on Snivy and Conkeldurr use Hammer Arm on Darkrai!"

His twisted Pokemon bellowed their names in fury and charged up their attacks.

Tyranitar roared and began building up his Hyper Beam's energy within his mouth, but instead of the normal orange colour, it was pulsating an unearthly purple, and it was growing far faster than it should have. Within second's the attack was charged and his eye's narrowed as a powerful beam shot forth from the orb. Ash tried to get Pikachu to dodge, but the attack rushed through the air at incredible speeds, and collided with his starter, sending him flying back into the Aura wall behind him and causing him to cry out in agony.

"MAG-NE-ZONE!" The Magnet Aura Pokemon bellowed, as a sphere of steel type energy built up in front of him, rapidly growing in size and power, before he used his two magnet arms to thrust it forward at blistering speeds towards the dragon/ground duel type. Gabite did his best to avoid it, but it caught him on the side, and he was sent spinning rapidly towards the hard, stone floor, impacting upon it and grunting in pain.

Hydreigon was going into a fit of rage, its three heads snapping about wildly, even attacking themselves, as its anger finally took control, and losing itself to mindlessness. A fierce red aura sprang up around it, and it's already red eye's began to glow brighter, the pupils basically vanishing as the madness took over. It literally flung itself at the Eon Pokemon, slamming into her, before snapping, biting and mindlessly thrashing against her, all the while shouting its rage. Latias winced under the relentless assault, taking incredible amounts of damage from the furious dragon type move. She was barely hanging on, using her power to try to free herself from the insane Brutal Pokemon... but her heart sank when she heard Liepard bellow its name. Seeing the glowing red Shadow Ball hurtling towards her, she glanced at Ash, giving out one last telepathic message "_I'm sorry..._" The attack connected, and she screamed, falling to the floor and completely knocked out. The punishment too much to handle even for a Legendary.

"No..." Ash looked on in disbelief, as his old friend and powerful psychic type dropped to the floor, swirls for eye's and unmoving. He cried out in rage when he saw that, even though she was out, Hydreigon didn't stop attacking, and kept beating at her still form in its insanity. Gathering his power, he built up the most powerful Aura Sphere he could and sent it straight at the dark/dragon duel type with an angry roar. The attack connected with the largest of the three heads, snapping it to the side harshly as blood and teeth flew out of its mouth. It flew through the air, coming to a stop just in front of Tobias, stunned for a moment, before collapsing to the floor, knocked out, it's face still twisted in a furious snarl.

"Houndoom!" He heard the dark Pokemon roar out from across the field, drawing his attention. It launched a powerful flamethrower from its open jaw's, the fire seemed to come alive as it flew through the air, angry and turbulent, wanting to vent its endless rage upon the poor grass type.

"Snivy get out of there!" Ash called out frantically.

Moving as best as she could, the Grass Snake Pokemon did her best to dodge the incoming attack. But defying all laws of physic's the fire _turned_ in the air, following her movements, before engulfing her entirely. She screamed a horrifying scream, one of the utmost agony as the fire's began consuming her. Pulling out her Pokeball, Ash quickly returned her, he wouldn't let her die.

Conkeldurr stomped over to Darkrai at a speed that belied his size, incredibly raising one of his large stone pillars over his head. "Conkel-durr!" He roared, eyes blazing red with rage, and bringing down the now glowing white pillar of stone with unthinkable strength. Darkrai's eyes widened and he moved to dodge... but was too slow. The super effective fighting type move slammed down on top of him, causing him to grunt painfully as he was crushed between the concrete pillar and the hard stone pathway. The ground splintered and cracked under the impact, and as Conkeldurr removed the pillar, Darkrai was left face down and unmoving in a small crater, it was obvious he wouldn't be rising again in this battle.

All his Pokemon where either knocked out or extremely beaten in one round of attacks, and he grimaced. His chances of winning this fight had been cut to basically nothing. He couldn't comprehend how Tobias' Pokemon had gotten so powerful, strong enough to shrug off the most powerful of attacks and strong enough to bring down Legendaries with seeming ease...

"No..." Iris said fearfully, watching the battle with rapt attention. She couldn't believe how easily Ash's Pokemon had fallen.

"This is bad..." Riley voiced the obvious, as if just needing to hear his voice to keep himself from losing his cool.

"Come on Ash! Let us help you! Please!" Dawn pleaded yet again to no avail.

"This battle has quickly turned into a recipe for disaster..." Cilan shook his head, eyes captivated on the scene before him.

Ash listened to his friends, feeling their worry and concern for him and his Pokemon, and was about to drop the barrier and let them help, seeing no other choice available to him, when he heard something else that immediately caught his attention.

A new sound filled the air, and it took him a second to realise just what it was. Mocking laughter. He turned his head to the source of the sound. The Knight of Shadow had a twisted grin on his face, and he was laughing. Laughing at Ash's Pokemon, laughing at the fact he'd almost _killed_ Lati and Snivy...

Something snapped within him then, and he screamed his fury at the heavens, his body engulfed in an azure light of blinding brightness. Power blazed off him and a shockwave burst out from within him, knocking everyone off their feet. He turned his furious gaze on the one responsible for such abhorrent violations against nature. Tobias.

The Knight of Shadow stopped laughing and met the Aura Guardians gaze, and felt something within him, something that was supposed to have been removed with his transformation. _Fear_.

Connecting his mind with Pikachu's, Ash gave him a quick series of commands. He could sense nothing from the Pokemon before him, all their good quality's had been forever seared away by some twisted experiment, so he felt no remorse for them. He would obliterate them utterly, and put and end to their mockery of an existence.

Pikachu's eye's widened as he received the order, thinking he had heard wrong, but a look into Ash's now blazing gaze told him otherwise, feeling the power of his trainer surge into him and combine with that of Zekrom's, he nodded and began his attack.

Screaming in strain, a surge of mind-boggling amounts of power burned through him, and Ash channeled it all into Pikachu's attack "Now Pikachu! Use APOCALYPSE!"

Pikachu ran into the center of the field and began charging power, a ball of blue electricity began growing around him, enveloping his small body entirely. It grew and grew until it was the size of a house, turning a blinding white colour as it reached the apex of its size, like a miniature sun had descended from the stars. When he had it ready, he leapt up into the air, taking the sphere with him, before unleashing all the power Zekrom gave him into it. Seeing the moment at hand Ash threw all the Aura he had left into the attack. Two colossal titans of power merged with the sphere of electrical energy.

Everyone behind the Aura wall gazed with equal parts awe and fear at the display in front of them. "Such power..." Riley rasped out, trying to take in what he was seeing. The group could only nod dumbly at his statement, too enraptured by the sight to find words. Their faces illuminated by the roiling colours emanating from the sphere.

"**PIKA!**" Ash's starter roared, and fired the catalyst.

A Thunderbolt erupted from his cheeks and sparked the start of the attack. All the air began being sucked into the sphere and it convulsed madly, shrinking and shrinking in on itself until it became no bigger than the Pokemon that had created it. The explosion that followed was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. The ball collapsed in on itself until it could take no more, and the power erupted outwards, a white/blue/yellow wall of light shot out in every direction, deleting everything it touched from existence. The sound was like nothing describable, a thrum of power that reverberated the entire ground with the force of an earthquake, and sent ripples through the air. The unnatural Pokemon closest to the attack where obliterated utterly, Conkeldurr and Hydreigon didn't even get a chance to scream, and in seconds, nothing remained of them, not even ashes. The rest fared little better, their horrific screams cut short as they dissolved against the sheer force of energy rippling out from the attack. Tobias used his twisted power to shield himself, but he was struggling against it, unwilling to give in.

Ash quickly threw up an Aura barrier to shield his own Pokemon from the maelstrom of unleashed energy .

After a few more seconds the energy ignited and exploded again, too unstable to maintain coherency. A large blast wave shot forth and sent everyone flying back, the barriers finally giving out on both sides, and the nearby tree's stripped of their leaves. The grass blackened and ripped from the earth. Ash was thrown hard backwards, colliding with his friends and sending them all to the ground with grunts and moans, his Pokemon following him.

Tobias was flung back into a scorched tree behind him, his armor blackened and his cape singed. He growled as he felt some ribs shatter from the force, his plate armor buckling under the impact, thick blood sluggishly trickling out of his mouth. He glanced down and saw a large branch protruding from his mid-section, impaling him against the trunk.

All the glass in the Pokemon Center shattered when the force of the attack reached the building, and the people and Pokemon within were thrown from their beds, surprised and confused.

It took five minutes for it to calm down, everyone moaned on the floor, trying to regain their wits.

Dawn coughed as she forced the air back into her lungs, being winded quite badly from the impact, and stood up shakily, trying to peer through the dust cloud that was _everywhere_ "Ash?" Her voice sounded hoarse and weak as she searched for her lover.

A pained groan from her side caught her attention, and she saw Iris slowly get to her feet, she was covered with dust, and had a nasty cut across her left cheek. "Dawn? Are you alright?"

The bluenette nodded "Yeah, have..." she stopped to cough again "Have you seen Ash?"

Iris shook her head "I havent seen... anyone."

Riley limped through the dust cloud towards them, holding his side, Lucario and Riolu following close behind, cuts and bruises adorning their bodies. "Is everyone alright?" He groaned out, and when he moved his hand away from his side, it was stained red.

The girls nodded in unison, still trying to peer through the immense dust cloud that had followed the attack.

Finally giving up with trying, Dawn grabbed a Pokeball from her waist. and opened it up, letting Togekiss out of her home in a brilliant flash of white light.

The Jubilee Pokemon looked around confused "Toge?"

"Togekiss, I need you... to clear this dust, can you... do that?" The bluenette looked up at her normal/flying type hopefully.

She nodded and flew up above the clouds, before flapping her wings rapidly to create a strong gust of wind. At last the dust cleared and visibility came back to normal, although what it revealed wasn't pretty. She quickly returned her Pokemon, thanking her for her assistance.

A huge crater of cracked stone and rubble was now where the middle of the road had been, at least ten meters in diameter and half as many deep. Pikachu was barely standing in the center of it, looking completely spent, blue sparks were dancing playfully over the ruined ground around him.

Where Tobias' Pokemon had been, now remained only four blackened remains on the floor, of the other two, there was nothing. The man himself was propped up against a tree, unmoving and bleeding heavily, a large branch pinning him against it.

She turned around and looked behind her. Ash's Pokemon were scattered around them, unconscious and bruised. Cilan could be seen slowly coming around in the scorched earth that used to be a field, but of Ash himself, she couldn't see anything.

Fearing the worst, a cold dread ran through her, and it felt as if icy fingers were clutching her heart. She frantically looked around for any sign of the ebony haired trainer, but saw nothing. '_He was so close the explosion, he could have ended up like..._' she glanced at the blackened remains that were once Pokemon, and felt tears slipping from her eyes "No... please no..."

A rustling sound could be heard nearby, and she turned her head to face it. She saw a hand grasp up from behind a fallen tree, a Cross-Transceiver strapped around the wrist "Ash?" She asked with hope.

"Dawn... im... here," Ash called out from behind the ruined remains of the tree, it had toppled over and obscured his form from view.

Relief washed through her and she limped over to him, reaching him just as he got to his feet, his body still blazing Aura, although his eyes had returned to normal, and his clothes were ripped and torn, he was slightly cut, and blood was gushing out of his nose. His teeth were stained red. Without a word, she just brought him into an embrace, thinking she'd lost him again "I told you not... not to do that again." She scolded him, smiling with cracked lips.

"Yeah... and... im sorry," he tried to laugh, but instead just coughed up some blood, and it slowly ran out of his mouth.

"Are you ok?" She looked over him worriedly after pulling back from the hug.

"I'll... be... fine..." he croaked out, looking anything _but_ fine.

She just nodded, and they both limped back over to the gathering group. Cilan had joined them, looking worse for wear, but otherwise no lasting damage. "That was... quite the attack, Ash." The Connoisseur said as the couple approached "I've never seen any recipe with that much power on the list of ingredients."

Ash again tried to laugh at his friends words, but found more blood running out of his swollen mouth. Everyone looked at him with concern but he waved them off "It's nothing."

Riley shook his head though "You're still not able to handle your Aura, Ash. Using it like you just did could have killed you."

Grabbing his Pokeballs in shaky fingers, Ash returned all his Pokemon, promising to heal them all soon, and thanking them for a job well done. "I wasn't really thinking about that, once my emotions set my Aura off, I lose myself in the moment..."

Iris nodded in agreement "It's true, the only times he's ever used his Aura is when his emotions flare up."

Riley considered this, finding it curious, before nodding. "We still have _him_ to deal with," he gestured towards the still form of Tobias, his blackened armor glinting in the early morning light.

"Yes... we... do..." Ash groaned out, eyes narrowing, and he slowly took off towards his old Sinnoh League rival. Dawn under his arm, supporting him, and everyone else following closely behind.

Pikachu crawled out of his self-made crater as his friend and trainer approached "Pika pika..." he said faintly, looking up.

Ash smiled down at him "You did a good job, Pikachu. I'm proud of you."

His starter forced a grin on his aching face, and walked in tow with his friend towards The Knight of Shadow.

When he reached him, he stood, looking down at the crumpled up form with disgust.

As if sensing his disapproving stare, Tobias lifted his head and locked gazes with the ebony haired teen. "You... sure... know... how to... make an... attack," he managed, before going into a coughing fit, thick, dull blood spewing out of his mouth.

"You're a... monster, Tobias. Look what... they've done to you..." he finally said as his friends gathered around him.

"Perhaps... you're right..." he again coughed up a lot of blood, before continuing "But the real... monster... is... is called... Ghetsis..." as he said that, he let out a large breath of air and his eyes rolled up into his skull, before falling limp.

_Ghetsis_. Ash seared that name into his memory. He knew that whomever this person was, they would be the crux of the coming darkness. He could feel it.

People were streaming out of the Pokemon Center, and a large crowd was starting to gather around the scene in the early morning light. A few worried glances went over the scene and a few shocked gasps could be heard over the growing chatter.

Nurse Joy was the first to walk over to the group, a look of deep concern on her face.

Ash didn't notice much of it though, and finally gave in to exhaustion as his Aura left him, he fell to his knee's, slipping from the bluenette's grasp, his eyelids too heavy to hold up. He felt all the pain return and his entire body became a lead weight, heavy and unresponsive. A stream of blood leaked from his mouth and he hoped he wouldn't be out for another three weeks. He heard Dawn cry out his name in panic, as well as the worried shouts of his friends and what he believed sounded like Nurse Joy, before letting the blackness claim him.

**Unova Region - ?**

The three remaining Knight's of Shadow suddenly gasped, the breath knocked out of them as they clutched their chests painfully, feeling a part of them suddenly die. As one they screamed out, letting their anguish be heard, an ungodly wailing that pierced into you and chilled you to the bone. The three of them were all in separate locations, yet they had all felt it... one of their own had been killed... and they would seek vengeance for his death...

**Next - Chapter 21 : Rocking on with Recovery**

**Ok, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it was rather dark, but it's all a big part of the story. I hope I got across Ash's Aura awakening in a spectacular enough way, that it was thrilling to read.**

**As I said at the top, please drop a review and tell me how I did!**

**As a side note, my motherboard is kind of fucked at the moment and my new one has just arrived this morning (as im writing this), so my next chapter will probably be delayed a little whilst I get everything running.**

**Until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	21. Rocking on with Recovery

**Hello Pearlshippers, sorry for the wait, I've had a lot of issues with my computer and getting it sorted has been nothing short of a nightmare. I've gotten it fixed to the point where I can write my chapters though, and I was eager to finish this one up.**

**It's still not completely fixed, and I'm working my damn balls off to get it going at full capacity again. However ill try my best to keep up the regular updates, as I do truly enjoy writing this and tend to miss it when unable to type.**

******Anyhow enough of my ranting, so on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 21: Rocking on with Recovery**

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

Opening his eye's to the now familiar sight of the plain, white Pokemon Center ceiling, Ash winced slightly as the glare gave him its complimentary sting. Closing them again and slowly reopening them to adjust, he was greeted with a different sight.

Dawn's face was smiling happily down at him, her hair washed and vibrant, her clothes fresh and clean and she smelt divine. He did notice a healing cut across her forehead and felt a twang of guilt about it. "Ash! You're awake! I'm so glad you didn't make me wait three weeks again!"

He grinned back at her, grateful for her presence "How long was I out?"

"Four days, but you shouldn't be sore or hurting anymore!" She exclaimed with eagerness.

"Huh?" He quickly tested his arms, legs and fingers, finding no pain in the movement. Testing his body further, he sat up, but unlike last time he'd awoken in the Center, the movement was fluid, and didn't make him feel like he was being stabbed in the gut. "I don't understand..." he looked over to the bluenette curiously, more than a little confused.

"Riley used his Aura to manipulate some of your own, and basically used it to heal you," she hesitated, took a deep breath to steady herself, and continued "You were dying Ash... Riley did it to save you... I-I... nearly lost... you..." The last word was a mere whisper, and tear's fell from her eyes, wetting her cheeks.

Ash leaned over and brought her into a loving hug, holding her tightly "I'm sorry for putting you through this again. Making you cry is the last thing id ever want to do, you're my world Dawn, and I'd travel to the ends of the earth and back again to see you smile." She looked up into his auburn eyes and smiled lovingly, before his face darkened "But when I saw Tobias... and what had happened to those Pokemon..." he was cut off by her crashing her lips against his own, and he returned it with eagerness, finding the loving gesture a comfort.

She felt Ash put a lot into the kiss, and it surprised her momentarily, before she upped her contribution, slipping her tongue into his mouth, to begin their wrestling match, moaning slightly from the sensation.

Eventually breaking apart, Dawn connected her gaze with his own, "I know you want to stop things like that happening to people and Pokemon, and you're willing to do whatever it takes. But _please_, don't lose you're life in the process."

She was practically ordering him on that last part, and he could see the need in her eyes for him to agree with her. She really didn't want to entertain the thought of losing him.

He nodded slowly "Alright Dawn, I promise to act a little more carefully."

Sighing in relief, she melted against him, snuggling up. He smiled and began stroking her hair, enjoying the warmth of her body against his own. "So Aura can be used to heal wounds huh?"

She shook her head against his chest "Normally not no, but because yours is so strong, Riley was able to use the sheer power of it to do what would normally be impossible. He say's you're going to be one of the greatest Aura Guardians that's ever lived."

Ash heard her speak with barely concealed awe, and chucked slightly "It's nice to know you think so highly of me."

A dirty smile crossing her face, she reached towards his crotch, snaking her hand down his torso. "Well since you're so special, I think it's time we did something 'special'..."

Gasping in surprise at the feeling of her hand heading south down his body, he glanced down at his lover, and could see she was biting her lower lip, her sapphire eyes again clouded in a deep lust. "Feeling a bit frisky are we?" He asked with a cheeky smile.

Turning her gaze to look at his face, Dawn nodded, a blush gathering on her cheeks "I'm not gonna lie, being told your boyfriend is a legend incarnate is a huge turn on... and it HAS been a month since we..."

He knew she was getting horny, since he could see her hardened nipples through her shirt, and decided to remedy it. She giggled as Ash grabbed her waist and threw her under him, growling huskily. She was already soaking wet and spread her legs slightly in anticipation, the blush on her cheeks deepening. He began kissing her neck and she moaned in pleasure, tearing at his clothes with gusto... until Riley opened the door.

The couple snapped their heads in the direction of the door, both blushing furiously and finding themselves unable to move from the position they were in. Riley looked at them awkwardly "Uhh.. is this a bad time?"

'_Not again..._' Ash thought exasperated. Sighing, he rolled off of the bluenette, and she quickly closed her legs, pulling down the hem of her skirt to conceal herself. "Not at all," he replied somewhat sarcastically.

Riley normally would have left, giving them their alone time, but he _really_ needed to speak with the young Guardian, so he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, before walking over to stand next to the bed. Dawn laid herself next to Ash with her arm over his chest, and a leg entwined with one of his own.

The older male smiled down at the happy couple, before getting serious "How are you feeling Ash?"

"A lot better, thanks. Dawn told me what you did for me, I didn't even know such feats were possible..." he shook his head slowly.

Riley tipped his hat "Normally no, but your Aura is something else. The sheer power of it was enough to enable me to manipulate it into healing you... although it was a last resort measure, and not something that id normally recommend or do. Combining our Aura's in that way is extremely dangerous, and could have killed us both."

Ash nodded in understanding, gently stroking Dawn's arm "Well thanks for saving my life, I kinda owe you one there."

The older male held up his hands "No need to thank me, it's my job after all. It's also a great honor for me to be of service to you, Chosen One," he bowed, lifting his hat off his head and holding it before him in a gesture of respect.

The bluenette practically squealed at him being titled 'Chosen One' and planted a kiss on his cheek happily. Ash chuckled at her and pressed his lips against her forehead, before turning back to the Aura Guardian, as the older male began speaking again.

"We did however find this, once you were out," he reached into his pack and pulled out a long object, concealed in a plain bit of cloth. He quickly unwrapped it, and held it up to the light. It was still glowing an icy blue, and sent a cold shiver down your spine just being in its presence.

Ash recognised it immediately "Tobias' sword..."

Now that he was so close to it, and someone wasn't trying to impale him on it, he could examine it a little more closely. It had a beautifully crafted serrated edge, sleek and deadly with graceful protrusions, and the hilt was shaped like the skull of a Tauros. There were gemstones running up the spine of the blade, pulsating the blue misty substance and emitting the eerie light. The handle was leather-bound with rich red hides, and ornately crafted skulls were carved at each side of the hilt and base. All in all it was both beautiful and terrifying to look upon.

Riley nodded "Yes indeed, and I've never seen the like before." He examined the blade carefully, noting every detail, before shaking his head "I'm still not sure what is radiating off of the gem stones, but its related the inherent power of Pokemon, that's for certain..."

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked dangerously, not liking where this conversation was now heading.

If Riley picked up on his tone, he gave no sign, and continued to explain "Well this is obviously a mix of ice and dark type energies, and they have been concentrated and stored within these gemstones. What happened to the Pokemon the energy came from is unknown, for they could have lent their power willingly, or..." he trailed off, not needing to say the rest.

Everyone sat in silence for a while, absorbing the information. Ash had feared this might be the case, and it would explain why Team Plasma was out poaching all those Pokemon... His fists subconsciously curled up into balls as his anger flared. He imagined all the innocent lives this was ruining... and for what? Some lunatics quest for power? He shook his head, already feeling his Aura massing up within him. _Ghetsis_, he knew whoever this person was, he was behind all this. He wasn't one to usually trust something said by a man like Tobias, but he knew he wasn't lying when he confessed. He was freed from his dark thoughts as Riley covered up the blade, and placed it back in his pack.

Feeling him tense up beneath her, Dawn gently squeezed Ash's hand and smiled up at him "It'll be ok sweetie, we'll stop them. No need to worry!"

Sighing, Ash returned her smile, finding his worries lessen "Thanks." They shared a quick kiss, before he turned back to Riley "Alright now things are more peaceful, I have a few questions for you."

The older Guardian nodded, before grabbing a chair from near the wall and placing it next to Ash's bed "I'm sure you do, this must have been quite a confusing time for you."

"Yeah it has... and it's all happening so fast..."

"I know, well first ill tell you about the events that brought me here, and what happened along the way..." Riley then began explaining all that happened to him, starting with the vision of the destroyed city and rampaging Pokemon, to finding Riolu, and to finally feeling immense pain upon arriving at Unova, using it to locate Ash.

When he was finally done, he sat back and chuckled slightly "I must admit I didn't expect YOU to be the Aura Guardian I was searching for, my jaw probably hit the floor hard enough to leave a dent. Even though you were unconscious, the power emanating from you was incredible, I could feel it from miles away... no wonder you can't control it with so little training."

Ash scratched the back of his head "Yeah well, the only training I received was during my stay at Cameron Palace. I had to use my Aura to help save the Tree of Beginning, along with Sir Aaron's Lucario..."

Riley's eyes widened "You met Sir Aaron's Lucario? How is that even possible?"

"Well it turns out Sir Aaron trapped him inside his staff, so he wouldn't have to sacrifice his life, and could be freed later, to live in a time of peace. And there he remained, until I accidentally freed him, " he chuckled slightly at the memory "He thought I was Sir Aaron to start with, because our Aura was extremely similar."

Dawn was laid with her head against Ash's chest, listening intently to the conversation taking place. She was amazed at some of the thing's her lover had done that even she wasn't yet aware of.

"That's quite remarkable, and had I not sensed your awakened power myself, I'd not have believed you. Sir Aaron was a Guardian of Legend, one of incredible power and will, just like you, Ash. I've come here to help train your Aura so you can use it safely, and condition you into being the greatest of us all." He looked directly into Ash's eyes, locking his gaze with the raven haired teen "Dark times are ahead, and you'll need to be at your best to combat them."

Ash nodded solemnly "I'm assuming that's why you brought Riolu?"

"Quite perceptive," Riley tipped his hat "Yes indeed, he's to be your companion as a Guardian, and you will train side by side as you both master your Aura. I'm assuming you recognise him?"

"Of course, he's the little guy we helped save from Hunter J. He's the only Riolu I've ever seen that can use Aura Sphere." Ash replied, thinking about those events. They seemed like forever ago with everything that was happening around him.

"He's quite a unique one true enough. No Riolu has learned Aura Sphere for generations, and usually only the most powerful can do so. It's fitting that he's around to be the partner of an Aura Guardian of your status." Riley stood, straightening his jacket "He's waiting outside to see you, shall I fetch him?" Ash nodded and the elder Guardian walked over to the door, opening it and beckoning someone from outside. He held the door open as Riolu came into the room, looking a bit sheepish, but none the less glad to see Ash again.

Seeing his hesitation, Ash smiled warmly at him "Hey Riolu! It's great to see you again!"

The small Aura Pokemon grinned happily and ran over to him, an excited gleam in his eyes. He barked, but to Ash's amazement he could understand him clear as day "_It's great to see you too Ash! I really missed you when you left. I can't believe you're the great Aura Guardian I'm partnered with!_"

The ebony haired teen had a dumbstruck look on his face, and he turned to Riley to see if he could hear it too.

Riley smiled uneasily at Ash's reaction, thinking that the young Guardian was disappointed that Riolu couldn't speak with his Aura yet "Sorry about that... I promise to teach him to speak as soon as possible!" He proclaimed assuredly, not wanting the greatest Aura Guardian of their time to consider him a failure.

Looking back at Riolu, then at Riley, then back at Riolu, then finally back at Riley, Ash shook his head.

"Sweetie whats wrong?" Dawn asked with a hint of concern.

"You guy's didn't hear him speak?" Ash asked them, stupefied.

Raising a brow, Riley looked down at Riolu "No, I only heard him bark..."

"Yeah me too..." the young coordinator added.

The young Aura Pokemon glanced at Ash curiously "_Y-You can... understand me_?"

Realising he wasn't hearing things, the raven haired teen nodded slowly "Yeah..." He realised Dawn and Riley were giving him curious stares, so he elaborated "He asked If I could understand him."

"Incredible," the older Guardian murmured, transfixed with amazement, and slight unease "You're Aura is strong enough to connect with his and convey his speech... only one Guardian has ever been that powerful... the very founder of our order... The First Guardian..." He shook his head, finding it hard to believe his own words, yet, the evidence was staring him in the face "Ash do you have any idea what this means?"

He shook his head, waiting expectantly, feeling Dawn's hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Riolu shared his expression, anxiously awaiting the news the older Guardian was about to reveal.

Barely able to keep the wonder from his face and tone, Riley spoke, his voice little more than a whisper "There has been a prophecy in our order since it's founding, that when The First's power resurfaced, the one wielding it would stand against a darkness so foul that would destroy _everything_, and overcome it, leading the Guardians, and the world into a new age..."

Dropping down to one knee, and bowing his head, Riley continued in a shaky voice "The prophecy goes like this, for you deserve to hear it; _When balance is broken, rage shall run rampant, and the world will burn, leaving nought but ash. Alone against the darkness stands he with the power of The First, a light to which others shall gather, and fight against the corruption. Oh great Chosen One, let your ideal's shine, burning back the abyss, and bring forth the new dawn_."

Again silence descended upon the room as everyone's brains processed the words.

Now Ash was no stranger to prophecy's, and had been labelled a 'Chosen One' before on Shamouti Island, but it still sent a chill down his spine. How did this always seem to happen to him? "Wow... you think this prophecy is about... _me_?" He eventually stuttered out.

"Without a doubt, Great One" The older Guardian's voice was laden with respect "Only you have the power of The First."

Riolu was stood with his mouth agape, he knew his partner would be a great Aura Guardian... but equal to The First? Even with his limited knowledge about his order, knew about The First! Dropping to one knee, he bowed his head, much like Riley who was still knelt beside him.

Dawn looked up at her lover, admiration, love and respect washing through her,and her deep sapphire eyes were sparkling with emotion "Wow sweetie... I always knew you were special... but this is..."

He turned his gaze to look back at her, nodding in agreement "I know... and I should be used to this by now," he chuckled slightly.

Looking down at the two kneeling figures before him, Ash sweatdropped, feeling a bit uncomfortable with such formality, and held up his hands in front of himself "Guys there's really no need for that, please get up."

They stayed there for a minute, before reluctantly rising, although they kept their heads bowed. "As you wish Great One," Riley said bowing, Riolu mimicking his actions.

The couple on the bed shared a glance, and the bluenette just shrugged. Ash decided to try a different tactic, and change the subject "So... Riolu is gonna be my Pokemon?"

Finally lifting his head, Riley nodded "Yes indeed, he's your chosen Guardian partner." He gestured to the Pokemon at his side, and Riolu stepped forward.

"_It's a great honor to serve you, Master_," he spoke as he approached, looking both excited and anxious of his new companion, before dropping to one knee again.

"Really there's no need for that," Ash protested, but his request fell on deaf ears, and he sweatdropped again. '_I guess I better get used to this treatment_' he thought exasperatedly.

"Well welcome to the team Riolu! It's gonna be great have you with us!" He exclaimed, giving the small Pokemon his best smile, grabbing an empty Pokeball from his belt and enlarging it, holding it in front of himself.

Riolu seemed to break out of his awe. rising to his feet and a giddy smile was gracing his features. He happily ran over, tapping his head gently against the Pokeball, sucking himself inside. The ball didn't wobble, and pinged instantly, signifying capture.

A large grin appeared on Ash's face as he stood up from the bed, doing his usual victory pose, "Alright! I just caught a... Riolu!" Before he shrunk the ball and placed it back on his belt.

He heard Dawn giggle, and felt Riley looking at him strangely, and he couldn't help but feel like something was missing... until it hit him what that was. Pikachu! "Hey where's Pikachu?" He asked, quickly scanning the room "And Piplup..."

"No need to worry! They're eating breakfast with Cilan and Iris, along with the rest of our Pokemon," the bluenette chirped from the bed.

He relaxed a little, knowing his buddy and Piplup were safe.

His stomach suddenly let loose a loud growl, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly "I guess the talk of food has stirred my appetite."

"Well you're free to go get some breakfast, Great One, ive told you all you need to know for now." He said, bowing again. "We shall begin training your Aura later in the day."

Ash's face lit up, needing no further encouragement "Great! Let's go Dawn!" He yelled already running off out the door, like his life was depending on it.

Dawn giggled and shook her head, before taking off after her lover to go get breakfast.

Riley stood there in the room alone for a second, slightly amused at the scene he had just witnessed, before a smile graced his face and he chuckled softly "Well he may be the greatest Aura Guardian for generations... but, he's still Ash."

The older Guardian made his way after the couple, to go join them in the cafeteria, and prepare for the first day of Aura training.

**Unova Region - Opelucid City**

"There!" N shouted over the rushing wind, straining to be heard "I see them!"

Reshiram's eyes followed the direction he was pointing and glanced down, seeing the three figures zipping through the city streets. He nodded and swooped down, making sure he was high enough not to be seen by the residents of the city, but close enough to let his master keep a watch on the activities below.

It had been two weeks since N had reached the Dragonspiral Tower. He was as surprised as anyone when the Light Stone had shot out of his hands, glowing a fierce molten orange, and transformed, setting Reshiram free from his dormant form.

He'd been even more surprised when Reshiram had then opened his mouth, and spewed out a torrent of white-hot flames at him. He'd dodged of course, if he hadn't overcome his shock and dived to the side at the last moment, he would be nothing more than charred remains in the old, derelict tower. After about thirty minutes of dodging attack, and just trying to stay alive, he'd managed to get himself onto Reshiram's back and clung to its elongated neck for dear life.

Finally ceasing its assault, the Legendary Pokemon had then turned his head towards him, and filled his head with its voice "_**Your quest for truth has been accepted as worthy, I shall accompany you in your travels, and help reveal the knowledge of which you seek.**_"

That had been the biggest shock of all, being told by the Legend itself, that _he_, was the prophesied Hero of Truth. After that he'd quickly gotten to know Reshiram on a personal level, bonding and connecting with the Legendary, in a way most could only dream of, and they'd become fast friends. He felt honored to have such an opportunity presented to him.

Now he was trailing three very familiar figures, trying to find out exactly what was going off. He'd not been able to contact his father for quite some time, which whilst it wasn't unusual for him to quiet for a while, he'd never gone dark for quite so long before. N suspected he was up to something, and in his quest for the truth of _everything_, he intended to find out what.

The Shadow Triad were running across the roof's of the buildings at a frantic pace, easily clearing the large gaps between the structures as they made their way through. They seemed to be in a hurry, and N figured it must be an important assignment for them to be out in broad daylight like this. He was flying high enough that he was pretty confident they hadn't spotted him yet, but with the Triad you could never know, it was like they had eyes everywhere.

'_What is he up to?_' He asked himself for the thousandth time today, not putting it past his father to resort to insane schemes to make their goal a reality. Distasteful things N wanted no part in.

They were reaching the edge of the city now, and the Triad were showing no signs of slowing down. N kept his eyes locked on them as best he could, tracking three locations at once. They were split up of course, you'd hardly ever see the Triad running together through such a public area in the light of day; One was directly below him, skirting the rooftops, the second was running through the streets themselves, keeping to the shadows and avoiding contact with civilians, and the third was running across the adjacent roof's, mimicking the pace and actions of the first perfectly. Once they reached the city limit, they all leapt up into the air, coming together mid jump... and vanished from sight.

N blinked, briefly shocked, before swearing under his breath. "Reshiram, they've eluded us, can you sense them?"

The Legendary's eyes shone a bright blue as he focused his enormous power onto the assigned task, before sadly shaking his head "_**I'm sorry master, but even I cannot trace where they have gone.**_"

The green haired youth still didn't know how they vanished and appeared at whim like they did, but suspected his father heavily in that regard. Knowing that trying to find them now would be fruitless, he thought about his next plan of action. He still wanted to know what was going off behind the scenes in the organisation he was suppose to be the ruler of... he'd been hearing some troubling things from Anthea and Concordia alate, things that were keeping him awake at night.

He briefly thought about Ash and his friends, wondering how they were all doing right now. He could certainly use everyone's help in all this, maybe they would be able to see what he couldn't. '_Human_ _friends... even now it's hard for me to believe it to be true_.' He chuckled at that last thought, after all he was on a quest for the truth, was he not? "Reshiram, take us back to Plasma Castle, it's about time I returned home to my father and payed him a visit."

"_**As you wish.**_" The giant white Pokemon turned and began soaring through the sky, the miles melting away beneath them as they headed towards Team Plasma's secret Headquarters. N was still troubled greatly, and hoped that nothing sinister was going off within his home. '_I'll find out what's really happening, the truth shall be known, whether my father likes it or not._'

* * *

Far below his rapidly retreating form, three figures with long white hair materialized upon the top of a hill, watching him disappear from view. "He will know soon enough..." the one on the right spoke, his eyes not leaving N nor Reshiram.

"Would that really be for the worst?" Asked his twin on the far left.

The eldest one stood in the middle, shook his head slowly "Leave N to do what he wishes, if he finds out what Ghetsis is up to, then so be it. We, for once, are on our own mission, one that needs to be completed fast before we are discovered."

His two brothers nodded in unison, and they leapt down from their perch, and disappeared off into the forest...

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

Dawn made her way through to the lobby area of the Pokemon Center, to see how her lover was doing. She found him sitting upon one of the chairs in front of a video phone, finishing his conversation with an excitable looking Professor Oak.

"...anks Professor, ill talk to you again soon!" She heard Ash say as she approached.

He grabbed a Pokeball that appeared in the slot next to him, and hung up the phone, before standing up and turning around to face her. A pleasantly surprised expression graced his face "Dawn! Didn't hear you sneaking up on me."

She giggled "Just coming to check on how you were doing."

Ash grinned and threw up his Pokeball, before catching it "Just sent over Darkrai for the Professor to study, and he sent me back Cresselia, he was quite impressed with her and got a lot of useful research done! He was also quite shocked to see a Latias pop up on my list of recent captures." He chuckled slightly, before leaning in closer to his girlfriend "Cant spend five minutes away from me eh?"

A light blush spread across Dawn's features "I-I w-well u-uh, mhm uh eh ua ugw." She stuttered out, finding her tongue in knots.

He burst out laughing, her face was priceless and she was absolutely adorable "Well if it makes you feel better, I'm the same with you," his voice was low, husky and laden with desire.

She briefly looked him in the eyes, before rushing over to kiss him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He leaned into the kiss, placing his hands on her hips, feeling the curves of her body, and causing her to moan slightly under his touch. They eventually had to pull apart for air, and Ash realised he was hard as a rock down below. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly when Dawn glanced down, to find out what was poking her, "I guess it has been a while..." He said awkwardly, before noticing her hardened nipples through her shirt.

She realised where his eyes were directed and blushed "Yeah it has..." before she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips, "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, giving into his desire for the bluenette and reached around to grab her backside. She moaned slightly and started to lean up into another kiss...

"Get a room you two!"

They turned their heads towards Iris who was walking through from the cafeteria, followed closely by Cilan and their starters, the rest of their Pokemon being already safely back inside their Pokeballs, latched on their waist belts. Riley and Lucario came through from their room down the hallway, their stuff packed and ready.

Dawn hopped around to Ash's side and leant her head against his shoulder, as he slipped his arm around her. They were both blushing slightly from being caught. "Hey guys, you ready to get going?" Ash asked, ignoring Iris' remark entirely.

Cilan nodded "Of course, the Pokemon have all eaten and everything is packed. We should be all set to move on with your journey. You ready to challenge the Gym after a month of inactivity?"

"Of course! I mean I've not had a months worth of training, but I'm itching to get back into a battle!" He pumped his free hand into the air, and Pikachu leapt up onto his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. "You ready too buddy?"

"Pika pi! Pikachu!"

Ash grinned "Alright guys, let's head on over to the Gym, ive got my fourth badge to earn!"

The bluenette giggled from his side, picking up Piplup and holding him in front of her, before the group started moving from the Center and into the bustling city of Driftveil.

"Don't wear yourself out Ash, remember you're starting your Aura training later." Riley cautioned as they stepped outside, being greeted by a wall of warm summer air.

"Hey no need to worry! I'll get my Gym badge no sweat, and ill still have plenty of energy for training after!"

Looking around, he realised they were short a member of their group, and reached down to his belt, plucking a Pokeball from it, before opening it up and releasing it's contents.

Latias appeared before them in her human guise, stretching and yawning slightly. "_Oh hey everyone,_" she said rubbing her eyes "_Once you get used to Pokeballs, they are actually kinda comfy. And those healing machines are heavenly..._"

"I'm glad you don't mind them so much Lati! We're on our way to the Driftveil Gym to earn my fourth Unova Gym Badge!" He gave her a thumbs up, causing her to giggle sleepily.

"You're such a kid!" Iris giggled from his side, but inwardly she was amazed at Ash's seemingly limitless amounts of energy. Even just recovering from nearly killing himself with his own Aura, he was up and ready to go like nothing had happened.

"If I remember correctly, Driftveils Gym Leader is a man named Clay. A rather forward man with some quite 'tasteful' flavours, and he specialises in rock and ground types." Cilan intoned as they continued their walk.

Ash brought his free hand to his face, scratching his chin thoughtfully "Rock types huh?"

"Yes, in fact his entire Gym is fashioned inside a mining pit that he himself dug out," the Connoisseur continued.

"Really? That's awesome! I've never battled in a Gym like that before..." The raven haired teen chuckled "Then again, I've never battled in many Gym's like Unova's."

Riley cocked an eyebrow "What's so different about the Gym's here?"

"Oh you'll see!" Dawn giggled "They are a little more expressive in their decor on this side of the globe."

"Well come on guy's, there's no time to waste!" Ash exclaimed, breaking free from the bluenette, and eagerly running towards the direction of the Gym.

"Ash wait up! You'll get yourself lost!" Iris shouted after him in vain, before shaking her head and facepalming.

"Come on we better keep up, I don't think he's about to slow down!" Cilan issued, and they all nodded in agreement, running after their friend. Trying their hardest to keep up with his frenzied pace...

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

Ghetsis stalked into his room atop the tallest tower in the plasma castle. The room was covered in darkness, the only light coming from the flickering screens plastered all over the far wall.

He walked over and sat on his chair, milling over several things laid on his desk, an eager grin on his features. Everything was coming together nicely, his son had done his part, unwittingly of course, but still, and all his other side projects were giving off positive results. The only negative was that Tobias had already fallen. He'd lost himself to rage upon receiving _that_ news, and left another Grunt decapitated on the floor in his uncontrolled fury. Apparently that boy with the Pikachu was stronger than he looked, if the reports were true, at any rate.

He frowned as he thought about it, but dismissed it. There's no way he could possibly stop him now, everything was so close to fruition and he'd soon move out and assert his dominance, letting the feeble, weak-minded masses know who was _truly_ in charge... and yet... and yet...

In the corner of the room, the shadow's began to congregate, becoming a swirling black abyss that no light could ever penetrate. Looking into the blackness for too long would send any man insane, and yet that was what Ghetsis did. And as he peered into the manifesting darkness, he found a pair of blazing red eyes staring back.

The shadows began making out a black shape of a vaguely humanoid form, and when they were done, _something_ else stood in the room with him, causing the temperature to drop to freezing almost instantly.

Feeling the penetrating gaze from his recent acquaintance, Ghetsis briefly lost his composure, fumbling with the piece of paper he had in his hands, and dropping it.

The eyes narrowed, before a voice began whispering in the back of the Great Sage's mind "_You're nervous..._"

"Mind your tongue!" He spat venomously, not liking being seen vulnerable around _that_. "Nothing will be able to stop me soon enough, and the entire Region will bow down before me!" He roared, feeling his anger flare, and slammed his fist down upon his wooden desk, sending various object scattering onto the floor.

The thing in the shadows seemed somewhat pleased by the outburst, and regarded its partner with morbid fascination "_Yes, then you will have everything you want. Everything you __**deserve**__. People and Pokemon will tremble before you, bowing down to your unquestionable power and authority._" It whispered sweetly, its voice tempting and laced with desire.

"Yes... I will. And you will keep doing your part." He told it in a voice that brooked no dispute.

"_Of course Great Sage, I'm here to serve you as always._" It gave him a hideous grin. "_And soon it will be time for your grand reign to begin!_"

Despite himself, Ghetsis found the words like honey, seeping into his mind and giving him desirable thoughts. He pictured himself sitting on a large, sculpted throne, having everyone in Unova... everyone in the _world_, bowing down before him, obeying his every command. "Yes," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper.

The being smirked, and simply disappeared, taking the impossibly black shadows with it.

Ghetsis surpressed a shudder, and returned to his work. A large grin creeping across his features. Soon he would have everything he desired, and all his hard work and planning would finally pay off... then he would have no more use for his 'partner' and discard it like anything else he deemed useless...

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

The group finally caught with Ash just before the Gym, although the raven haired teen was still running at a near sprint.

"Ash sweetie! Please... slow... down!" Dawn called out, trying her best to keep up with her lover, and finding herself winded, along with everyone else, except for Riley and Lati.

The Aura Guardian easily kept pace and as the Gym came into sight, gently placed a restraining hand on his lord to be "It might be best to curb your excitement a little, great one, your friends are barely breathing..." He gestured behind them, and Ash noticed everyone's state for the first time.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Oops, sorry guys!"

Lati giggled "It was fun! I love running through the streets!"

"The life of a Connoisseur... really... needs to add... more... exercise" Cilan got out between breaths.

"You're... such... a... kid..." Iris panted.

Fueled by his ambition, Ash didn't feel the least bit tired, and looked over them all expectedly. "Come on guys! Just a little further, we're almo-" he was about to finish when a loud shout blurting from the direction of the Gym sounded out through the area.

"YOU WERE NOT!"

Curiously Ash turned towards the Gym, and noticed three people stood in a makeshift circle, having a rather heated discussion, unfortunately from this distance he couldn't make out who they were. He cocked a brow, wondering what the disturbance was about.

"What in the name of Arceus' is going off?" Dawn asked, standing besides him, trying to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun to see.

"I'm not sure, but it sounds like trouble. Come on let's go find out," he replied, and everyone nodded, before walking over towards the trio.

As they neared, features became distinct, some familiar and others not "Small world, huh?" Ash asked his lover and he heard her gasp in recognition.

The closest of the three had his back turned to them, the only things visible were his long, purple hair, his dark green t-shirt, his grey training pants, and the back of his purple and black trainers. He was currently arguing with a girl with long brunette hair tied into a ponytail, and Ash chuckled slightly when he realised she was wearing the exact outfit Dawn had bought back in Castelia City. The third was also a male, with bleach blond hair, instantly recognisable to everyone except Riley and Lati.

"Paul? Barry?" The raven haired teen asked, as he approached, cutting off their various insults at each other as all three of them turned their gazes towards the approaching group.

"Ash?" The two males asked simultaneously, a look of surprise on their faces. The unnamed girl just gave them a puzzled look, wondering who the hell they were.

The rest of the group arrayed themselves around the couple to regard the trio, Cilan and Iris recognising Barry immediately.

The blonde haired teen scanned the group, until his eyes fell on Riley "Hey Riley, it's great to see you again! And you brought your Lucario! Awesome!" They both bowed slightly in recognition, remembering him well from the fiasco with Team Galactic upon Iron Island.

Paul shifted his gaze from Ash to Dawn, then back again, cocking a brow in mild amusement "So idiot, you finally got your troublesome? It's about time..." he shook his head slowly.

Ash ground his teeth and tried not to bite, whilst Dawn blushed slightly '_Was I really THAT obvious that even Paul saw it?_' She couldn't help but think.

"What are you doing here Paul? I didn't even know you were in Unova," the raven haired teen replied, ignoring the bait.

His old rival regarded him impassively, then shrugged, in his usual 'couldn't care less' manner. "I'm here for the Gym challenge, as Unova is one of the only Regions I've left to compete in." He casually flipped open his badge case to reveal five badges "Driftveil is one of the last few I need to qualify for the Unova League, but when I got here these two moron's were fighting outside, and dragged me into it when I told them I was here to challenge Clay."

"I was here first! I get the first challenge!" Barry exclaimed, looking hyperly frustrated, constantly fidgeting.

"Which is a total lie, I was the first here, so I get to be the first to battle Clay." The unnamed female said, huffing slightly.

Ash raised a brow at her "I'm sorry, who are you?"

She glanced at him with her deep blue eyes, briefly checking him out on impulse, before shaking her head and sticking out her hand "Hi, my names Hilda, I come from Nuvema Town."

Taking the hand, Ash shook it happily "Great to meet you Hilda, I'm Ash, and this is Dawn, Cilan, Iris, Lati and Riley," he motioned the group stood around him, and everyone introduced themselves. "I actually docked in Nuvema Town when I arrived in Unova, it's quite a nice place!"

Seemingly forgetting about her current argument, the brunette fixated upon the ebony haired male. "Yeah it is, I started my journey there a couple of months ago with my friends, but we all split up to do our own thing. I intend to win the Unova League!" She pumped her fist into the air, and grinned fiercely.

"If you two are done flirting..." Paul said clearing his throat, earning a blush from Ash and Hilda and a glare from the bluenette "We still have to decide who battles Clay first."

"That's also kinda the reason I'm here..." Ash said awkwardly, causing the three to sigh in exasperation.

"How are we gonna solve this?!" Barry roared to the heavens, being stuck doing nothing REALLY didn't agree with him.

"Maybe I can help with that," came a deep, gruff, westernly accented voice from behind them.

Everyone turned to look towards the Gym, to see Clay stood in front of the large double doors, looking down at them underneath his cowboy hat. His face was lined and craggy, testament to a life of hard labour, and framed by his curly brown whiskers. He wore a brown leather jacket and pants with a darker brown shirt underneath. He was watching the three in the argument, a look of distaste spreading across the leathery skin of his features "You three outa be ashamed of yourselves, fightin like that, in front of MY Gym... The nerve of young folk these days..."

Barry and Hilda looked down sheepishly from the scolding, whilst Paul just glared at him "So you're Clay, I'm here to challenge you to a battle," the purple haired teen's tone was seemingly uncaring yet laced with danger.

Clay flicked his hat up, revealing his scowling face to the sun "Are ye now? And what makes you think I'd want to battle YOU?"

"Because unlike these idiots, I can give you a real battle, and I've wasted enough time as it is, I want my sixth Gym Badge so I can start moving on to Mistralton." He scoffed, looking rather irritated.

"Well since you asked so nicely, you can wait til last," he glared down at the purple haired teen "You, little missy!" He shoved a large calloused finger in the direction of Hilda "You're up first, come on in."

"All right!" She fist pumped, and followed the Gym Leader inside.

Barry deadpanned, then began flipping out "HEY I WAS HERE FIRST! I SHOULD GET THE FIRST BATTLE AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His pleas fell on deaf ears as the door closed behind Hilda, shutting everyone else out.

"You're such a kid," Iris facepalmed.

"His energy is certainly a frequent ingredient in his recipe," Cilan added sweatdropping.

Paul stood there, and shook his head at the dismissal, before shrugging and turning back to face the group. He found his gaze resting on a girl he'd never seen before, her short skirt and ponytailed brown hair were extremely attractive. He didn't realise he was staring until he saw her blush and look around awkwardly. He quickly regained his composure and shrugged it off. "Whatever, I'm not waiting around for this old fool to give me a battle, I'm heading off to Mistralton." With that he started off down the road that would lead him up past Twist Mountain and through towards the next city.

"Paul wait! I wanted to have a battle with you! I'll show you have strong I've gotten!" Barry called out frantically. Alas to his disappointment, Paul didn't even acknowledge him, and just kept on walking.

"AAAAAAAAH WHY WONT ANYONE BATTLE ME!" He started pulling at his hair in frustration, walking around aimlessly in circles.

Dawn sighed, and strode over to him, before grabbing him briskly by the ear "Barry you need to calm down! You're gonna give Twinleaf Town and the Sinnoh Region a bad name!"

"Ow! Dawn!" He squirmed against her hold, but it only increased his pain, and the scolding glare she was giving him made him stop his resistance. "Ok! Ok! Fine!"

She finally let him go and he started rubbing his ear painfully "I don't know how you put up with her Ash, you deserve a medal for taking her as a girlfriend!"

The bluenette growled, her face twisting in anger as she stomped back over to him. His eyes went wide with fear and he gulped loudly... before running for his life, disappearing off into the city.

Ash just laughed at the whole thing, before placing his hands reassuringly onto Dawn's shoulders, rubbing them slowly, eliciting a moan from her lips. He felt the tension leave her body under his ministrations. "Calm down love, it's just Barry being Barry," he spoke into her ear, his tone soft and comforting.

"_Well they were an interesting bunch..._" Lati mentioned after everyone had left.

"You could say that..." the Connoisseur added weakly "Definitely an interesting blend of spices..."

"Well I guess the Gym Challenge is out for now..." Ash said dissapointedly "What do we do?"

Riley, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, except to introduce himself, finally spoke up "Well now's the perfect chance to train your Aura, great one."

The raven haired teen snapped his fingers "Of course! That sounds like a great idea!"

"I know of a clearing in the nearby forest that will serve perfectly as our training ground, it's spacious and away from prying eyes," Riley finished, bowing modestly.

"Great! We can have a picnic whilst you train, enjoy the forest, and let all the Pokemon out to play!" Iris chirped happily at the idea of being out in the wild again.

"Well that's all settled then!" Dawn exclaimed happily, smiling as Ash placed his arm around her shoulders, before following Riley out into the nearby tree's.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

Colress was getting increasingly distressed with his work.

It wasn't the fact that he found it distasteful in any manner, but as of the last couple of weeks, he'd been hearing whispers. Insidiously tempting whispers in the back of his mind.

At first he put it down to his own subconscious playing up, since they were a rare occurence, but they had become increasingly frequent, and _desirable_, so now he was starting to worry.

The voice offered him everything his heart desired, all the research he could possibly want to do, all the test subjects he could ever possibly need, and all the resources he could ever possibly use. In exchange for partnering with it, whatever _it_ was.

He had no idea where these whisper's were originating from, but it was clear it wasn't only him being affected. He seen that several Plasma Grunt's had started acting strangely, and several more had simply disappeared altogether. With Ghetsis around that second option was at least somewhat explainable, but he'd seen things that he didn't like. People shaking their heads, or poking fingers into their ears repeatedly, people whispering amongst themselves in darkened corners, and a few even curled up into a fetal position, rocking back and forth, talking to the walls.

He had to admit, it was extremely tempting to accept the offer that was frequently thrust into his head, almost on an hourly basis at this point, but he kept strong, declining it every time. However he wasn't sure how much more he could take, the damnable voice even invaded his dreams, making sleep less than relaxing. If it didn't stop, he'd need to relocate away from here or go insane like several had Grunts already, those with lesser willpower were always the first to fall...

"_You can have everything you desire... The world can be yours... You can make it **burn**..._" it whispered again, as it had a thousand times before.

"I've told you before, I'm not interested," he spoke to nobody, yet the presence within his skull retreated again. It would be back, he knew, and wondered if it had anything to do with Ghetsis. Surely the Great Sage was aware of it...

'_A mystery that needs an answer, and one I shall have_' he told himself mentally, and tried his best to focus on his task at hand, blocking out the insidious whispers and their dark temptations. The many tanks in the room were still being prepared for the big attack, and whilst they were almost ready, he still needed to make the last-minute preparations to make sure everything went off flawlessly.

Still... he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, _something_ was here in the castle with them, and whatever it was, he was positive it didn't have their best interests at heart...

**Unova Region - Outside Driftveil City**

The group were currently in a large open area in the middle of a lush, green forest, located on the north-western side of Driftveil City. Dawn, Lati and Iris were all sat on a blanket, shoes off and enjoying the rich natural scent of the greenery, whilst watching Ash train his with his new-found Aura. Cilan was off to the side preparing their dinner, his cooking equipment out, and the various ingredients he'd brought with him laid around him on his portable table. He was humming happily as he stirred the pot, enjoying making a fine dish that his friends were sure to love. All their Pokemon had been let out and were enjoying themselves in the open air, either resting in the cool shade or running around playing with each other.

"You got this sweetie! I know you can do it!" Dawn called out her encouragement across the field towards her lover, who was focusing really hard on what Riley was telling him to do. They had been at it for the last two hours, and progress had been painfully slow.

He nodded his thanks to his girlfriend, and tried again to force his Aura to the surface without it being triggered by his emotions, Riolu was out next to him, mimicking his actions.

Rivers of sweat were pouring down his face, and he'd already removed his hat and hoody, letting his now drenched unruly black hair free, and showing off his toned torso through his sweat-soaked shirt. He ran a hand over his forehead, to stop the salty liquid from stinging his eyes, and refocused his mind, trying to bring forth the latent power trapped within.

"Focus your mind on the inner part of yourself, the untapped power that lies within your very being, and reacts to your every emotion." Riley instructed, Lucario stood beside him, calling out his own commands to Riolu.

"_Do as your Master does, focus your Aura and make itself manifest around you_," he told the younger Pokemon. Riolu nodded at his evolved form and closed his eyes in concentration.

Next to him, Ash was delving deep into his own subconscious, using his incredible drive to never give up, and using it to propel himself into a trance-like state that revealed all his inner self had to offer; His desires, his fears, his weaknesses and strengths, all were locked away in the depths of his mind.

He was suddenly barraged with a series of memories and images, flooding to the fore and threatening to overwhelm him. He let out a gasp and had to steady his footing lest lose his balance, before mentally forcing the images down and storing them away. As he dove deeper and deeper, he eventually found a blue light emanating from the blackness, and as he drew towards it, it brightened. He cautiously approached, before concluding that this is what he had been looking for. Taking a leap of faith and trusting his instinct, he dived in. His senses were briefly overloaded with a flash of blue energy and he took a step back, dazed and disoriented.

When he finally regained control of his body, he saw his skin was alive with the deep azure of Aura, the power rippling off him like blue flames, dancing with the wind.

"Way to go Ash!" The young coordinator yelled out, causing him to glance at her with eyes ablaze with power, the warm auburn swallowed by the maelstrom of energy, replaced with a blinding blue.

Riley nodded his satisfaction "Well done, Great One, you've learned how to tap into your Aura at will. It will take some time to master it, but now that you know how, all it takes is practice."

Inspired by his new Master's accomplishment, Riolu roared out in effort and dug deep within himself, before becoming engulfed within his own Aura, feeling the power surge to the fore, strengthening his abilities tenfold.

Lucario grinned at him, proud of the younger Aura Pokemon's accomplishment "_Well done, young one, you learn fast. That will be paramount in the coming conflict._" Riolu turned towards him and nodded his thanks.

"Alright, now Ash I want you to focus, and try to create an Aura Sphere," Riley commanded next. "Watch, and repeat what I do." He placed his hands in front of himself and a large blue ball effortlessly materialized between them, before he dismissed it, and it faded to nothing.

The young Guardian nodded his understanding, and placed his hands in front of himself, focusing the latent energy all around him into a spherical form.

The sphere materialized, and rapidly grew in size and power, drawing its strength off the immense energies radiating from him. It was soon one of the largest Aura Sphere's ever created, and Riley took an uneasy step back, as did Lucario and Riolu.

Ash's eyes widened but he couldn't stop the flood of power going into the attack, so he did the only thing he could think of, and just decided to try to disperse it.

A large explosion issued forth, engulfing the young Guardian as the power he was gathering, literally blew up in his face. Dawn and Iris leapt to their feet, their worried expressions clear on their faces. "Ash!" the coordinator cried out, seeing her lover disappear in a pillar of dust.

When the dust cloud settled, the raven haired teen was standing there, scorched and twitching, all the grass around him black and dead.

Riley looked him over before chuckling lightly "I guess you still need some training in controlling all that power safely."

Ash nodded, before falling over onto his back "I think you're right..."

Dawn and Pikachu came rushing over "Ash sweetie, are you ok?"

"Pika pi, pikachu!" The small Mouse Pokemon had a look of concern on his small face, he'd been watching Ash from the sidelines, and when he saw the Aura Sphere building up, he knew it could only mean disaster.

With the bluenette's assistance, Ash stood back up and started dusting all the soot off his body and clothes "I'm fine, really!" He gave them both a thumbs up, and a cheesy grin, causing them both to giggle and roll their eyes playfully.

"Well I think we should call it quits for today, you've made great progress already, to say how little experience you have using your Aura in a controlled enviroment." Riley spoke up as the three of them started making their way back towards the rest of the group.

"Well perfect timing, because lunch is ready!" Cilan exclaimed happily as they neared, setting his specially made soup into bowls, and placing them around the table. He also began filling up the numerous bowls on the floor with his home-made Pokemon food.

Ash's face lit up, and he was already salivating at the sight before him, "Great cause after all that training, I'm starving!"

"You're always starving." Iris deadpanned.

Not even hearing her, Ash had already shot over to the table and was busy cramming the soup into his mouth, as fast as humanly possible, earning himself a giggle from Dawn as she sat down beside him.

Riley smiled and shook his head, happy to see that the training didn't damage his Lord too seriously. He'd be really worried if Ash had said he wasn't hungry...

Pikachu hopped over to the food bowl with his name on it, and began chowing down with gusto, and was soon joined by his friends as they all got a good wiff of it.

Snivy and Buneary had been clashing over him again, and Cresselia had her hands full keeping the peace. Even now they were butting heads over their food bowls about who would get to eat closest to Pikachu.

The small yellow mouse watched them and sighed deeply, as the Lunar Pokemon scolded them for their behavior, causing them to reluctantly cease their assault on each other.

Lati picked up her specially made food and brought the bowl to the table, taking a seat next to Ash, before placing a pellet into her mouth, hoping everyone would be ok with it. To her relief everyone just carried on as normal, and she happily munched away, feeling _almost_ human.

"This is amazing Cilan!" Ash exclaimed as he went to scoop himself a second bowl before anyone else had even taken a bite from their first.

"Well it's great for a chef to hear such great reviews," Cilan dipped his head in gratitude, sincerely grateful for the kind words.

Dawn blew on hers to cool it down, before placing a spoonful in her mouth and tasting it. Her face lit up and her eyes rolled in pleasure "Wow, this IS amazing! What's in it?"

"Just a fine mix of herbs, spices and special ingredients I bought at the local store, seasoned with just the right blend of berries, found in the surrounding forest by Iris!" He explained happily.

"That's right, I found a whole bunch of watmal and pamtre berries in the bushes nearby, and their super yummy!" She replied, as the group began digging into their soup, enjoying each delicious mouthful.

A short while later, all that was left was a pile of dirty dishes, and Cilan was busying himself cleaning them, humming a catchy tune as he worked.

Everyone else was taking a quick nap in the mid afternoon heat, unable to find the energy to do anything after stuffing themselves on Cilan's cooking.

Ash was propped up against a tree, his cap over his eyes and his hoody curled up behind him as a make-shift pillow. Dawn was laid in front of him with her head resting on his lap, and Iris was snoozing on a branch above. Lati had chosen to remain in her human form and was snoozing at the other side of Ash, keeping a respectful distance from the couple, not wanting to intrude.

The majority of their Pokemon were still out, and like their trainer's, were quietly snoozing in the shade of the nearby tree's, letting the warm air relax them into a peaceful slumber.

The only two still awake besides Cilan, were Riley and Lucario, who were sat on a tree stump close by, chatting amongst themselves, and laughing every once in a while at some unheard jest.

As they rested up for the Gym challenge Ash would be taking later in the day, they were blissfully unaware of the events about to be set in motion in the north of the Region...

**? - ? - ?**

In a place where light goes to die, a spot of endless darkness against the bright veil of stars, something stirred. It moved around in its own little dimension, bristling with a malicious hunger that could never be truly satisfied.

But it wasn't normal food this being feasted upon, instead what it consumed was _pure_ _energy_. And it had, at long last, found its next source of sustenance.

Looking down upon the world below, the many continents and seas arrayed across the surface, it could sense the massive amounts of latent power emanating from it, and it regarded it hungrily. Its twisted mouth smirked eagerly, pointed rows of teeth masked by the ever-present shadows.

It saw everything it needed down there. It had been so long since it had eaten, so long since it had a world to drain, and it was running low on fuel. It would need to feast again soon, it knew. Fortunately its influence had already started to effect those below, turning them against each other.

Soon there would be no resistance, nothing to stop it from doing what it set out to do, and when that time comes, it will descend upon the hapless planet, and annihilate everything, before beginning its feast...

**Next - Chapter 22: Molding a Victory out of Clay**

******And there you have it, Chapter 21, I hope it was worth the wait, and I promise you wont have to wait quite so long for the next one.**

**Once I get my computer back to normal, Ill most likely be back at my 1 - 2 days posting schedule.**

**So until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	22. Molding a Victory out of Clay

**Hello readers and Pearlshippers!**

**I'd like to start with saying a big thank you to everyone who's left me such great comments in the reviews. It means a lot to hear such things, truly. And my story has passed over 100 followers at the point of writing this, with 100 favorites! That's amazing! Thanks to everyone out there that's reading my fic. I know this has taken longer than usual, so I hope you all enjoy it.**

**So, on with the fic!**

**This chapter contains this story's fourth lemon scene.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 22: Molding a Victory out of Clay**

"This will be an official three on three battle with only the challenger allowed substitutions. Please present your first Pokemon!" The referee called out from the sidelines, his voice echoing in the hollowed out earth that was Clay's Gym.

Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Riley, Lati and Barry were all up in the makeshift stands surrounding the arena, their breaths turning to mist in the cool underground air.

Barry sat there with a giddy grin upon his face, as he admired how his new Quake Badge glinted in the glare of the spotlights high above. He'd just won his match against the blunt, tongued Gym Leader, and had decided to join the others to watch Ash in his challenge. He was quite eager to see how good his old friend and rival had gotten since he'd seen him last in the Sinnoh League.

Piplup and Dawn were stood to the side of the group, doing their usual peppy cheers of encouragement for Ash and his squad of Pokemon down below. The small water type had been dressed up with his miniature cheerleading outfit, and was dancing away on the railings that ran in front of the stands, whilst his blue haired trainer settled for just her regular clothing, her cheerleading outfit currently gathering dust back in Sinnoh.

"Let's go Ash! You can do it! Let's go Ash! Yeah!" Dawn cried out, her voice magnified by the enclosed area of the battlefield, easily reaching everyone's ears, especially their intended target.

"Piplup, piplup! Pip piplup!" Her starter added, starting his dance, hopping from one webbed foot to the other and back again.

Ash turned his face towards his friends, smiling, and stuck his thumb up at them in appreciation.

"You got yerself quite the fan club!" Hollered the heavily accented voice of Clay from opposite him, "Yer gonna need it to take a badge away from THIS Gym!"

Turning back to face the large man, Ash grinned, casually fingering the Pokeballs upon his belt, "We'll see about that!"

Detaching a certain ball, he enlarged it within his palm. "Snivy! I choose you!" Launching her Pokeball across the field, he watched as it snapped open, letting his small grass type out of her home in a blinding flash of white light.

"Snivy vy!" She announced, making her presence known. He was happy to see she had recovered from her ordeal with the twisted Pokemon. After watching that horrific flamethrower engulf her, he'd feared the worst, but she'd bounced back with remarkable resilience, and he couldn't be prouder.

"A grass type huh? How original of ye," Clay snorted, flicking the brim of his hat up with a large, calloused finger, whilst grabbing a Pokeball with his free hand and enlarging it. "Let's show them that type ain't everythin'! Excadrill, let's go!" He gave his red and white ball a hefty throw, and it soared high above him, before snapping open and spilling out its white light, forming the shape of the Gym Leader's oldest Pokemon.

"Drilllllll," it growled, standing up slowly and unfurling its large, metal claws.

Iris let out a slight gasp in her seat, a hand flying to her chest involuntarily.

Cilan caught notice, turning to face her with a look of concern. "Iris? What's wrong?"

She quickly moved her hand back down to her side and smiled sheepishly at the Connoisseur, "Oh nothing! It just reminded me of something, that's all."

He found that answer rather evasive, but saw that it was a sensitive matter and let it be. She would talk about it in her own time, and Cilan had learned with experience that people oft opened up more easily if you don't press them, so he simply shrugged and turned his attention back to the battle below.

Sighing in relief, she too turned her attention back down to her friend on the field, but couldn't help herself from giving Clay's Excadrill an uneasy glance every so often.

"Axew?" The small dragon type questioned beside her, looking rather concerned.

"You know what it's about Axew, so please, can we just watch the match?" She pleaded.

He glanced at her then nodded slowly, "Ew axew."

"Heh, you got this right Snivy?" Ash asked, tipping his hat in the direction of his grass type.

"Sniiivy," she replied, narrowing her eyes. She whipped out her vines and started pounding the ground in anticipation.

The referee took up his position, holding his flags high above his head. "The first round match between Excadrill and Snivy shall now, begin!" Throwing down his arms, the battle began.

"Snivy, use Leaf Blade!" Ash started out, more than happy to be back in an actual battle.

"Sniiiiiiiiivy!" The Grass Snake Pokemon launched herself up into the air, spinning around rapidly, her small tail elongating and glowing a fierce green.

"Excadrill, counter that wi' Metal Claw!" Clay commanded, his voice brimming with a boisterous excitement.

"Exca!" The Subterrene Pokemon raised its sharp claws in front of itself in a defensive stance as they started to glow with steel type energy, ready to meet the Leaf Blade head on.

"Vy!" Snivy came spinning down and met Excadrill's claws in a clash of power, the two energies fighting for dominance.

"Drill!" The ground/steel type was gritting its teeth and struggling against the surprising force coming from such a small Pokemon, and after a minute of back and forth, both powers dissipated and Snivy flung herself back to Ash's side of the field.

"That little critter o your's sure pack's a punch!" Clay bellowed, more than a little surprised, "Aint much can match Excadrill when it comes to power!"

Ash smirked, "There's more to Snivy than meets the eye."

The large Gym Leader growled, "Well that may be... but no puny little Pokemon like that is gonna beat my partner! Use Drill Run!"

"Excadrilililililililililil!" The large Subterrene Pokemon closed in on itself forming a drill-like shape, and began spinning at a high velocity, powering itself through the air towards its foe.

Narrowing his eyes and shutting out all outside distraction, Ash's mind began working on a counter, going over all the possible solutions, outcomes and moves until he was satisfied. Within a few seconds his mind had concocted something and he grinned, "Snivy wait til the last second, then dodge. Then use Attract!"

Clay's eyes widened as he realized how much trouble that move could mean, "Excadrill, stop yer attack! Get out of there!"

It was too late, the momentum of the Drill Run was too much to stop, and the large Pokemon couldn't alter his course in time, having no choice but to continue on.

As he neared Snivy, the grass type nimbly leapt to the side and dodged the speeding projectile that _was _Excadrill, before putting on her most beautiful face and flashing her eyelids at his rapidly retreating form, "Snivy, sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiivy."

A barrage of hearts shot towards the Subterrene Pokemon, easily catching up to him and connecting with his still drill-shaped form.

His eyes became the same shape as the attack that had just connected with him, and he instantly fell head over heels for the tiny Grass Snake Pokemon... whilst still performing his Drill Run. The attack immediately lost coherence and Excadrill lost control of his actions, sending him at high speeds into the arena's rock wall. His head impacted with the solid stone, followed by a sickening _crack_, which reverberated throughout the Gym.

Clay winced at the sound, and everyone peered towards the cloud of dust that had arisen from the impact, anxious to see the results.

Being the closest, since Excadrill had crashed just behind him, Ash was the first to see that the Subterrene Pokemon was still conscious, largely in thanks to the metal sheath above its head, which now had a rather visible dent in it. Before anyone else could even see what had happened he quickly ordered "Snivy, use Leaf Blade!"

"Snivy!" She roared and flung herself towards the dazed and disoriented steel/ground type, spinning in a circle and extending her tail once again with a fierce green glow.

Excadrill had just enough time to see Snivy approach through his blurred vision, before he was smacked across his face by the powerful attack, sending him tumbling over to his side, and landing face first on the hard stone floor.

By now the dust cloud finally settled, revealing the results, and the referee nodded "Excadrill is unable to battle, so the first round match goes to Snivy!"

"Way to go sweetie!" Dawn shouted down from the stands, a large grin on her face.

"Piplup, piplup!" Her starter mimicking her actions.

"Great job Snivy," the raven haired teen gave his grass type a thumbs up.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added from beside him.

"Vy snivy," she nodded her thanks, and blushed slightly when she saw Pikachu smiling at her.

"A great strategy used to perfection! Using Excadrills own attack and weight against it, and taking it out without even taking a hit in retaliation! Truly an Ash style recipe!" Cilan exclaimed happily from his seat.

"Good job Ash! Don't you dare lose this battle! I can't have one of my rivals being weaker than I am!" Barry shouted next to him.

"It's like what happened to us..." Iris had a far away look on her face, visualizing the day that one of her best friends became distant and cold.

"Axew..." her Pokemon sighed from her side.

Riley was keeping a close eye on everything, and noticed Iris' sudden mood change. He frowned slightly, '_She has some demons to face... I'll talk with her about it later..._'

Clay still had an incredulous look on his face, before he laughed boisterously, "Impressive! That's some strength you've got!" He picked up his Pokeball and returned the fallen Pokemon, "But now the fun times are over!" Grabbing the next ball on his belt, he wasted no time in enlarging it and lobbing it out towards the battlefield, where it snapped open and revealed the intimidating form of Krokorok in a flash of white light.

"Kroko-rok!" He challenged in a roar, taking up an aggressive stance and staring down at Snivy.

"Snivy, return." Ash enlarged her Pokeball and pushed the return button, sending her back inside and placed her back on his belt. Grabbing another ball he smirked and launched it towards his foe. "Gabite! I choose you!"

His Pokeball snapped open, and the brilliant white light from within poured out, materializing into the form of his large Cave Pokemon. "Ga-bite!"

Both Pokemon began posturing, trying their best to be as intimidating as possible, growling and snarling at each other.

The referee took his que and held his flags up once again, "The second round match between Krokorok and Gabite will now, begin!"

"Krokorok, let's get this going with Stone Edge!" The boisterous Gym Leader yelled almost immediately.

"Krok!" He leapt high into the air and began channeling, a ring stones formed around himself, which became conical in shape and ending in a rather sharp point. Once he had enough he wasted no time in firing them towards Gabite, and they flew through the air with deadly accuracy.

"Dragon Rage," Ash countered casually, expecting such a move. A man like Clay was rather easy to predict, oft letting emotions rule their actions in battle, Gym Leader or no.

"Gaaaaaabite!" The familiar draconic energy built up within himself, turning his red-skinned stomach a fierce blue, before traveling up through his body and into his mouth. Taking a large gulp of air the dragon type roared and shot forth a powerful beam of power in the shape of a dragon's head which collided with the incoming rocks, causing a large explosion as they cancelled each other out.

When the dust cloud cleared there was no sign of Krokorok, and the ebony haired teen frowned, seeing the hole where his opponent used to stand. Finally realising he'd underestimated the Gym Leader and seeing the true intent of the Stone Edge, he quickly called a warning, "Gabite, watch the ground! He's using Dig!"

The Cave Pokemon's eyes widened and he quickly began searching the floor around him for the telltale sign of the attack surfacing. He was looking in the wrong area. As quick as he'd disappeared the Desert Croc Pokemon shot through the ground several feet away, already charging up a second Stone Edge, and launching it as soon as he was free of the earth.

Gabite had no time to react as the pointed shards of stone impacted on his leathery scales, causing him to grunt in pain and fall to one knee. After a moment he rose, panting slightly, his eyes narrowed in a fierce rage towards his opponent, "Gabite!"

"You can do it Gabite!" Came the familiar voice of the young coordinator from the stands, followed by the chorus of "Piplup, piplup!"

"That was a rather clever engagement, distracting your opponent then following it up with a double combo move. One could expect no less from a Gym Leader of Clay's reputation." Cilan mused, keep his ever observant gaze fixed on the battle below.

Lati nodded, "_It's so much fun watching them battle though!_"

Barry, whom was sat beside her, started looking around in confusion and poking his ears with his index fingers. "Hey did you guys just hear that? It sounded like someone was talking into my brain."

Iris chuckled, "The girl sat beside you is a Latias, she speaks using telepathy."

His mouth fell to the floor and he sat there gaping, wide-eyed, at what he thought was an ordinary, albeit quiet, girl besides him.

Lati turned to him and smiled, giggling at his reaction. "_It's nice to meet you too Barry!_"

He tried to reply but found his mouth unable to work and just sat there silently mouthing nothing.

Facepalming, Iris shook her head, "Such a kid."

Back down on the field, Krokorok smirked, deliberately taunting his foe with the arrogant gesture.

Gabite growled, bearing his fangs, looking forward to inflicting his own damage upon his opponent and to wipe that pompous smile from his face.

Ash looked across at his opponent with a new-found respect, realizing he'd made a beginner's mistake and mentally slapped himself for it. "I have to admit that I underestimated you," he stated, leveling his gaze with the Gym Leader, his deep auburn eyes clear and focused, "But no more." The ghost of a smile could be seen on his lips as he came up with his own combination strategy. Quickly whispering a string of commands, the Cave Pokemon grinned and nodded his understanding.

Raising his large hat slightly, Clay squinted, all he could see was a rather confident looking trainer and an eager Pokemon stood opposite him and he couldn't figure out why. By all accounts his last move should have unsettled them somewhat, and that Gabite had taken quite a beating already. He mistook it for false confidence and laughed loudly, filling the man-made cavern with his booming voice, "It'll take more 'an guts ta best me in a battle!"

"That's what I'm counting on," the raven haired teen replied calmly, and nodded slightly to his Pokemon, signalling the start of his attack.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaabite!" The Cave Pokemon roared, sending a storm of sand and dust into the air in a vicious storm, engulfing the entire battlefield and severely limiting visibility.

Clay looked on confused, "Ya know that Sand Storm won't 'ave much an' effect on a ground type, right?" Although he could no longer see his opponent, the Gym Leader swore he knew the younger male was smirking at him.

Krokorok was looking around wearily, feeling no damage from the barrage of sand around him, but likewise unable to see anything past his snout. Not knowing where Gabite was, set him on edge, and not being able to hear him due to the rage of the storm didn't help either. Getting paranoid, he began looking around on the floor beneath him for signs of a dig attack. So focused upon his inspection, he didn't see the glowing claw of a Brick Break come flying from the sand, striking him across the top of his head and toppling him to the floor. He gave out a pained cry and got to his feet, eyes darting back and forth at a rapid rate trying to find his assailant.

Gabite danced through the Sand Storm with ease, making out the heat signature of his foe through the denseness of the attack. Due to his passive, the sand actually benefited him, thus giving him a massive advantage over his blinded foe. Powering up a Stone Edge, he sent it hurtling towards the crocodile-shaped heat mark, and grinned when it was followed by a series of hurt grunts.

Clay scowled, he couldn't even see his own Pokemon anymore! But he could listen. And from what he was hearing, the battle wasn't going well for him. The boy was using the Sand Storm as a cover for his attacks and his blasted Gabite could somehow see through the damn thing. Using his years of experience, he tried formulating a plan of action. Finally coming up with something that was somewhat satisfying, he gave the order "Krokorok, use Dig and wait for my command!"

Glad to have something to work with, the Desert Croc Pokemon dove down into the hard earth and out of the blinding Sand Storm.

Gabite suddenly lost sight of his opponent and knew exactly what he'd done. He smirked. Ash told him this is what would be the most likely scenario and he deftly made his way over to where he'd last seen his opponent. Sure enough he found a circular hole in the floor, and leapt down into it.

Both Ash and Clay were blind to the actions performed by their Pokemon, and were going off of instincts alone to figure out how the battle was currently progressing. Though the ebony haired teen had a good idea of what was transpiring. He just hoped that Gabite was able to follow through with their plan well enough.

Everyone in the stands began squinting at the now sand enshrouded field below, trying in vain to pierce through it to see what was happening. All that was visible was the trainers stood at either side, and Barry gave out a frustrated cry, "Ahhh! I can't see what's going on!"

"Noone can idiot." Iris sighed from her seat.

Under the earth, Krokorok was still tunneling away, awaiting his next order and glad to be out of the storm above. A sudden pain shot through him as something very sharp clamped down hard onto his tail. He whipped his head around to see Gabite latched onto it, its serrated fangs dug deep into the leathery hide. He was about to attempt to knock the dragon/ground type off him, when he saw an orange glow emanating from within the other Pokemon, which gradually grew in intensity, heading slowly towards its mouth.

Eyes widening upon realizing what was about to happen, the Desert Croc Pokemon began thrashing it's tail about, in the vain hopes of freeing itself from its attacker. Feeling the draconic energies searing away at the hide within Gabite's mouth, a look of desperation appeared on his face, and he increased his efforts to a frenzied pace. Unfortunately it was no good, Gabite refused to let go, and the more he shook the more the teeth gouged into him.

The Cave Pokemon almost felt pity at the look in Krokorok's eyes, as the Draco Meteor formed in his mouth. He gave the other Pokemon one last grin... and unleashing the built up energy.

The raging Sand Storm above finally started to subside, returning visibility to normal, when an intense beam of orange light shot forth from the singular hole in the battlefield.

Everyone present gasped, except for Ash who simply watched on, hoping his plan would pay off. Now it wasn't the first time he'd tried a strategy like this, but it was always a risky one at best. Powerful yes, but risky.

The ground started shaking violently and large cracks began appearing all over the floor, accompanied by a horrific tearing noise that reverberating throughout the cavern. When the cracks reached the walls, they stopped, and everything fell silent.

Everyone looked on with bated breath. A few seconds later the same, brilliant, orange light blazed through all the small crevasses now covering the battlefield... and the world _exploded_.

Rock, earth and sand shot in every direction, clanging off the walls and pelting everyone in the cavern. A loud roar sounded outwards with the explosion, adding to the chaos.

Clay's eyes widened and he took several steps back, away from the Armageddon that had been unleashed beneath his battlefield. In all his many years as a trainer, he'd never seen such a move utilized. Sparing a glance across the turmoil, he saw Ash standing amidst it all, calm as a butterfree. A fierce blue shield surrounded him, deflecting all debris that was sent his way. The grizzled Gym Leader shook his head. '_Heh, NOW this IS a battle to remember.'_

Following the mounds of dirt and gravel being up-heaved from the ground, two familiar forms shot out. Gabite and Krokorok fell amidst it all grunting and wailing in obvious pain, their skin battered and bruised.

Finally the terrain ceased raining down on the combatants, as everyone began dusting themselves off, brushing away the dust from their skin and clothing.

Ash dropped his barrier, happy at his growing control over his abilities. He'd been confident he could create this at will, since it was what he'd created the most and he had easily shielded himself from all the debris. Looking out across the field he saw Gabite trying to rise, the effort labored and painful. Of Krokorok there was no sign. He figured the other Pokemon must be buried deep beneath the rubble now littering the floor.

The referee took a hesitant step forwards, glancing about the field to see the results of the attack. He saw the Gym Leader's Pokemon knocked out under a pile of dirt, it's tongue lolling out of it's elongated snout and swirls had replaced its eyes. Swinging his gaze across to Gabite and seeing it trying to rise through the debris, he held off his verdict of the round until he was certain of the Cave Pokemon's state.

"Come on Gabite, get up! I need you to stay strong! We can't lose this!" The raven haired teen pleaded to his struggling Pokemon.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu added his encouragement from by his trainer's side.

Hearing the desperate need in his master's voice, Gabite roared. With monumental effort he started rising, pushing the layers of earth away as he went. His legs shook and his arms trembled as he continued to rise, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Will power alone was keeping him conscious. Quickly glancing back at his trainer, seeing the belief he held for him within his auburn eyes, Gabite forced all his remaining strength into his limbs and cried out from the strain. Then to everyone's amazement, he became engulfed in a bright white glow.

His form began rapidly changing shape; His legs became bigger, more defined. His arms grew longer along with the fins attached to them, two new spikes sprouted above the biceps. His tail grew out, the fins on the end of it becoming like that of a shark. The singular fin on his back grew in size, to become a dominant feature and he became taller, losing the bulkiness his torso previously embodied. His mouth became larger, with several new teeth sprouting from his gums, and his nose gained definition to become more stream-lined. When the glow faded it revealed a yellow star on the front of his face, as well as the other colours of his skin becoming darker and more vivid.

"Gaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!" He bellowed, sending the rocks and dirt still on top of him flying outwards as he forced himself to his feet. He stood tall and proud, albeit a little shakily.

Seeing this the referee finally nodded and raised a single flag, "Krokorok is unable to battle, so the winner of the second round match is Garchomp!"

Ash grinned "Way to go Garchomp! You evolved just to secure us the win, didn't you?"

Garchomp turned his head slightly so one eye was peering into Ash's own. A smirk was visible on his face and he nodded, "Gar."

The raven haired trainer grinned back and gave him a thumbs up, "You did a great job, now take a nice long rest," holding up his Pokeball, he pressed the return button and sent a grateful Garchomp back inside his home in a beam of a red energy.

Clay sighed and held up his own Pokeball, "Return Krokorok, ye did good ol' buddy." After he returned his Pokemon from beneath the pile of rubble, he grinned over across the field at the younger male, "Now that was a good fight! I 'ope you still got some goin' in ya whippersnapper, cause this battle ain't over yet!"

The younger male chuckled, attaching the Pokeball to his belt, "I'm just getting started."

"Ash sure doesn't disappoint when it comes to his dragon type!" Iris exclaimed giddily. "And it was so cool to see Gabite evolve into a Garchomp right in front of us, right Axew?"

"Ew axew!" He nodded frantically, a big grin on his tiny face.

"I've not seen a battle yet that wasn't interesting to watch. He brings excitement and his trademark unpredictability to every match." Cilan added from her side.

"You got this sweetie, only one more to go!" Dawn yelled enthusiastically from the railings.

"Piplup!" The Penguin Pokemon chirped, doing his dance.

"Damn Ash, you destroyed the entire battlefield!" Barry shouted down towards his rival, observing the destruction that had followed the Draco Meteor.

Riley too had been rather shocked at the powerful explosion following the unseen attack. He kept to himself though, sitting behind the group and observing. Lucario at his side doing likewise.

"_Do you think he will use him next, Master?_" The Aura Pokemon asked, turning his head to regard him.

Looking down at his companion, Riley merely shrugged, "Who knows? When it comes to our Lord, nothing is certain," he chuckled slightly at that, thinking just how true it was.

Lucario nodded, and turned his attention back to the field below. He hoped the Great One would use his new protegé. The young Pokemon needed the experience.

"Pikachu pi, pika pika?" Ash's starter asked next to him, looking up expectantly.

"Don't worry Pikachu, I've got this." He found the Pokeball he was looking for with his right hand and unlatched it, enlarged it and got ready to throw it.

Clay on the other side of the field did the same, grinning fiercely with the youthful look of a warrior in his eyes. A look with belied his many years.

"Trainers, please send out your next Pokemon," the referee issued, giving them the command to continue the match.

"Palpitoed, let's pull this back and give em' a real show!" The Gym Leader roared, launching the ball towards the field. It snapped open and the familiar white light came forth from within, yet what appeared from it didn't look like anything Ash had been expecting. It was one of the stupidest looking Pokemon he'd ever seen, and it sure as hell didn't look like a ground type. He screwed his face up in confusion and whipped out his Pokedex. If anything the creature before him looking like it lived in water...

"Palpitoed, the Vibration Pokemon," the mechanical voice whirred out, "It lives in the water and on land. It uses its long, sticky tongue to immobilize its opponents." Quickly reading all the facts on the screen, he put his Pokedex back into his pocket and raised a brow at the Pokemon before him.

"A water/ground type huh?" It certainly was a rare combo. The only other Pokemon he could think of with a similar typing were the ancient Pokemon, Kabuto and Omanyte, with their evolved forms, Kabutops and Omastar. Both pairs being rock/water types.

Shrugging he threw his Pokeball across and onto the field, where it snapped open. Riolu materialized on his side of the field, looking more than excited at the prospect of being used in an actual battle. "You ready for your first Gym match?" Ash asked with an encouraging smile.

The small Aura Pokemon nodded and barked out, "_You bet Master! This is what I've always dreamt of doing!_" The raven haired teen chuckled at that, and Riolu took up a battle stance, an eager look on his face.

Taking his place for possibly the final time, the referee raised his flags above his head, "This third round match up between Palpitoad and Riolu will now, begin!" He threw down his arms in the familiar manner, signalling the start of the battle.

This time Ash was determined to get the first hit off, and called out his attack before Clay could even open his mouth, "Riolu, use Aura Sphere!"

The Aura Pokemon quickly placed his palms in front of himself, forming a large blue sphere of energy between them, before firing it across the field.

"Wha'? That little guy can use Aura Sphere?" Clay asked incredulously, "Quick Palpitoad, block it with Sludge Bomb!"

"Palpitoad!" The ground/water type roared, flicking out its long tongue and whipping it around, flinging several balls of mud towards the incoming attack.

"Focus Riolu, control the sphere to avoid the counter," Ash commanded calmly, hoping the little guy was up to the task.

Narrowing his eyes, the Aura Pokemon did as instructed, not wanting to fail his new Master. Bringing his inner Aura to the fore and engulfing his body with its glow, he focused on altering his attacks trajectory, to weave in between the balls of mud. His mind connected with the sphere and an immense pressure built within his skull as he mentally took control of his attack mid-flight. A bead of sweat dropped down his face, but to his credit he managed to guide it past the counter attack successfully.

Palpitoad gasped in surprise as the Aura Sphere dodged his attack and came straight towards him. Too shocked to move, not that it would have done any good, he just stood there as it connected with his squat form. Yelping in pain he was forced back several feet, and had a nasty bruise appear in the middle of his stomach.

"Good job Riolu, that was perfect," Ash nodded towards his latest team member, who barked happily from the praise.

"Well that's somethin new ta me!" Clay's voice shouted out, "That Riolu o your's sure is somethin' special kid, but we ain't gonna let you do that again!" Sticking a calloused thumb towards his opponent, he grinned, "Let's kick this up a notch Palpitoad, use Hydro Pump!"

"Palpi-tooooooooooooad!" The Vibration Pokemon bellowed, building up vast amounts of water within its body, before opening its mouth wide and launching it towards its opponent in a pressurized jet.

The water beam shot across the field at a blistering pace, and Riolu stood ready, watching it approach with narrowed eyes, waiting for the command of his trainer.

"Riolu, block it with Force Palm and push it back!" The raven haired teen countered.

Holding out his hands before him in a shield like gesture, the Aura Pokemon focused his power into his palms and braced himself for the impact.

The Hydro Pump connected hard with his Force Palm, causing his arms to shake from the strain, yet he held his ground. Slowly and strenuously he took a ponderous step forwards, pushing back the water. Another step followed, then another and another, slowly carving his way through the Hydro Pump and towards its sender.

Palpitoad's eyes widened at what was happening but kept its attack up nonetheless.

Clay was yet again surprised at what his opponent was capable of doing in a battle, and furrowed his brows. "Full power Palpitoad! Give 'em everything you've got an' show 'em who's boss!"

Grunting from the strain, Palpitoad put all his might into the attack. The spout of water from his mouth grew in size and the strength of it increased, causing Riolu to stop his advances and place a foot back to steady himself.

"Riolu!"

The Aura Pokemon turned his head slowly towards the voice, trying to keep the torrent of water from washing him away.

"Focus on your inner strength, bring forth your full Aura and empower your attack." Ash's calm voice washed over him and he grunted his understanding. Focusing his mind under such pressure wasn't easy, but he managed to do as asked. Dragging out all the power he could muster, he once again blazed the powerful azure hue of Aura and felt his attack double in strength.

Pushing forward he broke into a jog of sorts, slicing through the Hydro Pump with seeming ease, much to the disbelief of his opponent.

Clay could see that Riolu was going to reach his Pokemon, and unless he countered him when he did, this was all over. He waited until Riolu was just a few feet away... "Now Palpitoad, use Rock Smash!" He roared.

"Force Palm, maximum power!" Ash commanded in response.

Everyone present had their eyes fixated upon the two Pokemon, as the Hydro Pump finally subsided and they ran towards each other, crossing the short distance that remained between them.

"Palpi-toad!" The Vibration Pokemon roared, powering up his stubby arms and bringing them down towards his opponent in a vicious arc.

In response Riolu's palms lit up with tremendous power and met the attack as they finally reached each other.

The two attacks collided and a blinding light radiated out, causing everyone to look away, their eyes burning with the intensity of the sudden brightness.

The light expanded briefly before an explosion boomed into existence, sending both Pokemon flying backwards. Riolu landed hard on his back, digging a furrow in the ground as the force of the blast propelled him backwards. Palpitoad fared little better, since they were on his side of the battlefield, he was greeted with a hard rock wall rather than the compacted earth that made up the ground. Smashing into it he grimaced, and slowly slid down it, a trail of blood left on the stone behind him.

Riolu finally came to a stop when he hit one of the few boulders littering the field, his head smashing against it and he grunted in pain as the sense was briefly knocked out of him. His vision swam and he felt the blackness closing in, hoping that he didn't lose his first battle for his Master...

Both Pokemon were now laid on the floor, swirls in their eyes and unmoving. The referee raised both his flags, "Palpitoad and Riolu are both unable to battle, and the match is a draw. But since Clay has lost all three of his Pokemon, the Gym Battle Challenge goes to Ash Ketchum!"

Instead of his normally jubilant mood at such an occasion, Ash ran over to his fallen Pokemon and knelt down beside him, "Riolu? Are you ok?" He asked with a voice full of concern.

The Aura Pokemon opened one eye slowly and looked at him. He nodded slightly with the hint of a smile, before he collapsed and went unconscious.

The raven haired teen smiled and held up his Pokeball, "Well done buddy, you deserve a good rest."

With Riolu returned, he stood up and strode over to Clay, who'd just placed his own Pokeball back on his belt. As he approached, the large Gym Leader looked up with a big smile on his lips, "Phew… You're really somethin' li'l whippersnapper! Trainers who pack a real punch keep showin' up one after another. Mrmph. Here! Take this!" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Badge shaped like a vertical piece of earth, with the top half cracked and slid out-of-place.

Ash smiled happily and accepted it, holding it between his thumb and index finger, and standing in his victory pose. "Alright! I just got the... Quake Badge!"

Running over happily, Pikachu leapt up in front of him and added his "Pika!" Along with his peace sign to finish the image.

Clay chuckled at the display, whilst everyone was shouting their congratulations from the stands. The raven haired teen was about to turn to his friends and thank them for their support when he was glomped by Dawn. She immediately started lavishing him with kisses and clung to him tighter than usual.

He staggered under her loving assault, and laughed slightly, patting her back. "Woah calm down Dawn, it's just a Badge. I'm not the League Champion just yet."

She pried her lips from his cheeks and leant back slightly to gaze into his eyes. He saw the now familiar lust clouding the beautiful sapphire colour, and realized just how desperate she'd gotten whilst he was out. "Oh," he said somewhat sheepishly. She didn't need to say anything for him to figure _that_ out.

She blushed and bit her bottom lip, leaning in closer until her mouth was against his ear. "It HAS been a while since we..." she whispered seductively.

He found heat rushing to his cheeks and his own arousal stirring, and forced control on his raging hormones. It would be quite embarrassing to break from the hug with his concealed weapon poking out...

The rest of the group made their way down from the stands, lavishing their congratulations upon him.

"You were awesome Ash! Of course not as good as I am, but that's to be expected." Barry exclaimed, sticking a thumb towards his own chest and smiling, "Now that we have the same amount of badges, it's anyone's race to the League, and I don't intent to lose!"

"Heh, thanks Barr-" Ash sweatdropped as Barry was already at the Gym's door, waving his goodbyes and disappearing out into Driftveil.

"Pika..." the small Mouse Pokemon facepalmed.

Clay stood over the group, wiping his brow slightly from the battle, a large smile on his face. "You got yerself some good friends there kid, don't ye go forgettin' that. I've lived long enough to know wha' really matters in life, and keeping close wi' those ya love is the most important thing ye can do."

"No need to worry! My friends and Pokemon have always mattered to me more than anything." Ash chirped back, nodding towards everyone around him.

Dawn snuggled into him and Cilan bowed his thanks. Iris looked around sheepishly, not used to this sort of situation, whilst Lati was trying, and failing, to hide her blush. Riley tipped his Guardian's hat and chuckled, "You're not gonna go soft on us now are you, Great One?"

Everyone laughed, although Ash blushed slightly. "Come on let's head back to the Center, my Pokemon deserve a good rest after such a tiring battle," the raven haired teen gestured towards the door which Barry had taken in his usual haste just minutes before.

"You got it Ash," Cilan added, as the group said their goodbyes to Clay and started towards the exit, which would lead them to the elevator out the mine, and finally back out into the streets of Driftveil City...

**Upper Atmosphere - Spacial Orbit**

Rayquaza was on his ever vigilant patrol. He'd been doing this for longer than most mortal's could even begin to comprehend, eternally watching over the world far below. His duty was to keep it, and everyone on it, safe. Safe from what you might ask? Any form of threat, be it internal or external.

The vast emptiness of space loomed out before him. He'd patrolled around the spherical planet below so many times that he knew every star in the sky by memory. They were his many friends in his lonely existence, and he relished each one.

Although tonite, he realised with a start, some were _missing_. One or two stars disappearing every hundred thousand years or so was normal, true, but to have an entire area go dark in the space of a singular rotation?

He narrowed his bright yellow eyes as he flew out of orbit and into the endless blackness, trying to see what exactly was amiss out in the deep abyss of space. Something didn't seem right about this. It was _wrong_. His friends wouldn't disappear so, and the space where they once were was unusually dark. A blackness that hurt one's eyes to look upon.

Flying through the nothingness at remarkable speeds, he made his way towards it. Curiosity out weighing the growing dread building within his gut. The closer he got, the darker _it_ got, and he swore it seemed to be growing, spreading. _Consuming_. Consuming his friends, and shutting out their light...

Snarling without sound, he reached the edge of the darkness, probing it with his senses. Senses he was gifted with at the creation of time itself by his father. Peeling away the layers of cloying _nothingness_, he finally found the eye of the storm. What he found there made him recoil and pull back his mind immediately.

Filled with a fury the likes of which he'd not felt for millenia, he unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam at the blackness, burning back chunks of it at a time. He repeated his attack again and again, determined to fight back the consuming void before him.

His actions didn't go unnoticed. Large tendrils of darkness broke out from the nothingness and snaked towards him, horrific hooks at the ends of each one. Still seeing red in his anger, he didn't notice them until they were upon him, and he roared in pain as a large gash was raked down his side.

Whipping his tail around furiously, he smacked the tendrils back. Upon contact from the powerful blow they _dissolved_, disappearing from existence. Where one was knocked back though, five more shot out to take its place.

They began latching around him, too many to fight off as ever more appeared to grasp him in their nightmarish hold. Slowly, bit by bit, his form became enshrouded in the black tendrils, and to his horror he realised they were dragging him towards the shadows. Dragging him towards _that_.

Desperation took over and he unleashed his strongest outrage, sending his entire body into a flailing fury and decimating all the shadowed _claws_ that were groping for him. He knew he only bought himself a brief freedom, for even as they began dissipating, thousands more short forth towards him. This time he'd already backed off and flew away as fast as he could. Once he'd reached a certain distance they stopped their murderous pursuit and rejoined the ever-expanding darkness...

The Sky High Pokemon glanced back, watching with anger as more and more stars became blotted out by the growing void. '_**He's back... I must warn the others. The day we have long since feared has finally come...**_'

Using his vast powers, the Legendary Pokemon sliced through space with his front claw, creating a tear in the fabric of reality, just large enough to emit him entrance. Taking one last look towards the nothingness, he entered the portal. The memory of the what was staring back at him following him through...

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

"_The other Sages plan to take what is yours..._"

"_No one can be trusted, they are all plotting to take your secrets... your power..._"

"_The power you will soon wield shall make the world tremble..._"

"_No one can be trusted to handle Pokemon, only you..._"

Ghetsis smiled. The whispers had become his constant companion alate. At first he found it annoying, as no matter where he went or what he did he found he couldn't escape them. But now he found that he _enjoyed_ and _welcomed_ their presence. Like comforting words spoken from a loving parent.

"Yes... when my reign begins, all those that would betray me shall be dealt with..." he said to himself.

He was alone in his office as per usual, and the screens behind him offered the only source of light. He found the darkness comforting.

"_They will all betray you... even now those you trust plan to steal what's yours..._" came the reply in his mind.

He found himself snarling, clenching his fists into balls and snapping the pen he held in his hand. The blue ink dripping through his fingers and staining his skin. "NO!" He bellowed, abruptly standing and throwing a fit, "NO ONE SHALL TAKE WHAT'S MINE!"

A nervous knock tapped against his sanctum's only door, followed by the uneasy voice of one of the two Plasma Grunts stationed outside. "Uh... Great Sage...? Is something wrong?"

Forcing his increasing rage down, he steadied his voice and growled back a reply, "Everything's fine."

He needed to be more careful, his enemies were everywhere and he couldn't trust anyone in his organization anymore... Only the voice... Only that could he count amongst his friends. Fools! All of them! He will show them all soon enough what it means to cross him!

Sitting himself back down and grabbing another pen with his now blue hand, he set back to work. He would need to have a set of strict guidelines to hand to the mindless idiots that called themselves civilians. He would give them their orders, and if they chose not to obey, well... there were ways of dealing with that...

His reign will be glorious, and the entire world will bend the knee, carving his name into eternity as the worlds first emperor... Yes, and he shall control every last Pokemon...

An insane grin spread across his face and he began laughing. A laugh that held no sanity, no mirth, no joy. The laugh of a madman.

The two guards outside heard it and shuddered, wishing that they could be anywhere else in the world right now, and mentally slapping themselves for signing up for this job in the first place...

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

The sun was casting its final rays across the city as night settled. Everyone had had a nice lunch and now most had retreated back to their rooms.

Ash was alone in the cafeteria with Pikachu, finishing up what was left of his mammoth-sized meal. He still didn't feel bloated, merely satisfied. His buddy was sat on the table next to him sniffing about for anything unusual.

Setting down his knife and fork, the raven haired teen sat back and sighed happily. Although tonight had been for the most part usual, he did find it odd that Dawn had disappeared off to bed rather quickly. For once someone had actually beaten HIM to finishing their meal, and she'd quickly excused herself after giving him a peck on the cheek.

He shrugged and assumed she was just tired, it had been a long day after all. "Come on Pikachu, I think it's time we went to bed too," he said stifling a yawn.

"Piiiiiikaaaaaaaa," Pikachu yawned next to him, stretching his tiny arms up above his head and lazily jumping up onto his shoulder.

Ash chuckled and stood up, leisurely making his way back towards their bedroom. As he reached the door, he heard a quiet snoring in his right ear and turned to see Pikachu lightly snoozing on his perch. Smiling he reached up and gently placed his partner in his arms, before tiptoeing through the door.

Placing the small Mouse Pokemon onto his pillow, he began to get changed as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Dawn from her sleep.

**Lemon Scene**

He had just taken his hoody off when the light's were suddenly flicked on, temporarily blinding him and causing him to flinch from the intense glare. Rubbing his eyes and allowing them to adjust, he blinked several times. When he was able to focus them again, he saw Dawn was stood just before the bed next to the light switch, wearing her bath robe with a mischievous look on her face, her blue hair unclipped and falling freely down onto her shoulders. "Dawn? I thought ud be asleep..."

She reached down, untieing her robe and letting it fall to the floor, "Well I had an urge to try this on, and I wanted to hear your opinion..." she said seductively, biting her lower lip and flashing her eyelids.

Ash stood stock still, eyes wide and mouth agape as he viewed his lover. She was wearing the super skimpy bathing suit she'd picked out in Nimbasa City, the one that left extremely little to the imagination, yet covered just enough to spark desire. He felt a trickle of blood running from his nose and quickly wiped it away, still drinking in her body with his gaze.

She giggled at him and blushed slightly, "Well...?"

He ripped off the rest of his clothes in record time, until he was clad only in his boxers. She gasped, pleasantly surprised as he scooped her up bridal style and placed her on the bed, "You're beautiful," he husked out, before climbing on top of her and engaging her lips with his own in a heated kiss. She was right, it HAD been far too long...

Moaning, she spread her legs as wide as she could, letting his thighs grind against her own and feeling his erect manhood straining against the fabric of his boxers. She couldn't take it anymore and broke the kiss, and forcefully shoved Ash down her body.

He was momentarily surprised by her actions, but one look into her sapphire eyes told the story, and he hastily made his way to her lower regions. Her bathing suit bottom was already drenched, as if she _had_ actually been swimming in it. "Damn love, you _were_ ready for it weren't you?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

"Just shut up and do your job..." she pleaded, arching her back subconsciously to elevate her hips towards his face.

"Yes ma'am!" He agreed readily, lifting her legs up and slipping off the item of clothing. Placing his face before her entrance, he could see her juices running off her and felt a primal hunger well up within him, diving his tongue and fingers between her lips, he finally gave her the attention she was craving, and began thrusting in and out with his hand.

Gasping from the sudden pleasure, Dawn bit her lip. It felt _so_ good already, and she clamped her legs around his neck forcing him to go deeper.

Opening his mouth to envelop as much of her as possible, Ash stuck his tongue as far in as he could, twirling it around and lavishing her inner walls, enjoying her unique taste and the sound of her pleasured moans.

The bluenette was seeing stars at this point, his tongue was murderous in its assault, and combined with his fingers, she felt her climax building fast. Grabbing handfuls of the bed sheets, she scrunched them tightly within her hands, finding herself unable to hold it in any longer, "A-Ash!" She opened her mouth in a silent scream as the waves of pleasure rocked through her body.

Ash felt her tighten around him, as her hips started to buck slightly. He knew what was coming and waited eagerly, not stopping his current task. Sure enough his face was soon covered with her sweet juices and he greedily drank at it until she was finished.

Wiping his face and looking up, he could see that her eyes were closed and a light blush graced her cheeks. She was panting slightly and her hands were still holding the sheets in a death grip.

Finally opening her eyes, the bluenette looked down at him, a hungry look on her face. "My turn," she purred, pushing him down onto the bed and snaking her body ontop, teasingly trailing a nail down his torso and towards his boxers. He shivered from the action and she grinned, easing herself back until she was face to face with his private area.

Not wasting any time she practically tore his underwear off him, unleashing his erect member from its constraints. She could see a small amount of pre-cum on the head and lapped at it with her tongue, causing Ash to shiver in pleasure. She smirked, enjoying the taste of his seed as she plunged her mouth down over the tip, taking his length into her hot cavern.

Her tongue felt like heaven as it wrapped itself around his head, tortuously swirling around it and sending his eyes up into his skull. He groaned when she started bobbing up and down, constantly increasing her pace whilst not stopping with her work around the tip. She still had a hungry look on her face, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold out.

"D-Dawn... I-I... ugw..." Ash blurted out as he felt his climax approaching fast. She moaned eagerly and sped up. A few seconds of pumping later, the raven haired teen tensed up and felt the blissful state of his orgasm take over his nervous system.

The young coordinator got a full mouthful of his hot, stick load and swirled it around with her tongue before swallowing it all. She placed his member back into her mouth, drawing out the remaining cum with a deft stroke from her hand, and cleaned it up with a few greedy licks before sitting back.

After riding out his ecstasy, Ash glanced at his lover, and saw that if anything, the lust had only increased within her sapphire depths. He knew what she was after. The main course awaited them now, and he was just as hungry as she.

She quickly discarded her bikini top, letting her perky breasts free from their bonds, as she and Ash came together, embracing each other tightly in a passionate, lust-filled kiss. Breaking off from their embrace, the bluenette giggled cheekily and buried her face into the pillows, lifting her rear end up and giving Ash a modest view of her private region. "I want you inside me, Ash Ketchum..." she purred huskily.

He knelt there for a moment admiring her firm backside and her tight, moist pussy, before he eagerly shuffled forward and entered her from behind. They both moaned at the connection, and due to the new position, Dawn felt him reach new depths, which brought new waves of pleasure with it.

Reaching around with his hands, Ash cupped her breasts and began playing with her hardened nipples, as he began pumping into her, eliciting pleasured moans with each thrust, his entire length submerging within her wet folds with each swing of his hips. The sight below him was glorious, he could see himself repeatedly entering his love with a clear view of her back-side as it bounced against his thighs.

Dawn found herself biting into the pillow, the feeling of having Ash inside her again after so long was incredible. Propping herself with one arm, she reached with the other to play with her clit, adding to the sensation as her lover increased his tempo.

Finally releasing her soft mounds from his grasp, the young Aura Guardian grabbed hold of her waist as he felt his pleasure growing, increasing his pace and earning moans from his lover and himself. After five more minutes of intense pounding, he felt her tighten around him and knew she was getting close.

"Ash... please..." she pleaded, and he understood she was begging for release as much as himself. A few thrusts later her inner walls clenched tightly around his member, practically sucking him deeper and holding him in place.

Dawn screamed as she climaxed, her juices rushing out of her and spilling out around Ash's manhood. The feeling of that, along with the rapid convulsions of her walls, sent him over the edge as he thrust into her one final time, going deeper than he ever had before and reaching her cervix.

Both their faces had a blissful look upon them as their orgasms reached their apex. The bluenette's became more intense as she felt the satisfying feeling of ropes and ropes of hot cum fill her up.

Sighing in relief, Ash pulled out and collapsed down onto the bed. Dawn just flopped forward,a look of pure happiness on her face. "That was worth the wait..." she mumbled out, closing her eyes slowly.

Ash chucked lightly and snuggled up close to her, pulling the sheets over them and kissing her neck, "I love you."

"I love you too," she got out before falling to sleep and beginning to snore lightly.

Ash soon joined her, entering a blissful slumber, feeling like all the troubles in the world didn't matter half as much whenever he was with his lover...

**Next - Chapter 23: The Council of Legends**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! With everything that's been going off I haven't been able to write as much as I used to, so that's why it's taken longer for this to get out. Not sure when I'll be getting Chapter 23 out, but I'll work on it whenever I can.**

**Until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	23. A Council of Legends

**Hello guys, a few things I need to mention. First I've been rather busy alate, which is why this chapter has taken quite so long to write out. I did fix my computer, but because its been broken so long I've been playing a few games that I've missed over the past three months or so, and that's eaten into my writing time, I've also been fairly busy with some other things, which again didn't help. **

**Also the first 5000 or so words I typed out when originally writing this mysteriously disappeared, which really set me back. It also was really demotivating retyping that many words which I had already written.**

**I've also become addicted to watching Naruto. Can't help it, I just love that show to pieces, and it has an amazing storyline to it. After this story is completed, along with the sequel I have planned to follow it up, I might try my hand at a Naruto fic, if anyone would be interested in that.**

**Anyways, you've all waited long enough, so on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

**Chapter 23: A Council of Legends**

**The Halls of Origin**

Silence reigned in a vast marble-stone chamber. It was ornate and ancient, the pillars that surrounded the room adorned with runic glyphs sealed into them at the dawn of time. Several braziers that were eternally lit cast their light around the room, creating flickering shadows that danced over the mosaic floor. The ceiling seemed not to exist, rather it was a window to the great universe itself that greeted any eyes that decided to look up. All in all it was a serene and graceful room used for only the most important of gatherings.

A white line appeared in the middle of the room, smack bang in the center of its circular circumference. The line grew and expanded before widening, tearing open a door into another dimension. A keening wail followed the action as the light's intensity grew. A shape thrust itself through the portal and collapsed out of it, falling limp on the floor. As soon as the newcomer was fully through, the tear in reality sealed itself and faded from existence.

Silence once again reigned after it closed, the only sounds now were the flickering flames and the labored breathing of a large green figure.

Laid in a growing pool of his own blood, Rayquaza lifted his large head and looked around. Seeing no one in the near vicinity he tried to rise, but was struck with a sharp pain down his left flank. Growling in pain his eyes shot forth to the wound in his side and widened with fear.

Black tendrils of energy were snaking out from the cut, crawling over his skin and bringing a paralysing pain with them. Wherever they went he lost all feeling, only an excruciating agony remained. He knew that this was _his_ doing, some parting gift for attacking the darkness.

Gathering his formidable powers within himself, he focused his mind on ejecting the foreign energy from his body. Much to his disbelief, the black veins of power coursing through his skin didn't retreat and dissipate like they should have, instead they _consumed_ his attack and boosted their own strength in the process. "_**Impossible!**_"

Panic began to set in as they increased their pace, getting ever closer to this head. He knew if that happened he was as good as dead, and his warning would die with him. He began thrashing about in the futile hope that it would help, smashing several finely details tiles beneath him in the process. His arms went numb and he roared in pain, the agony the darkness was causing him was like nothing he'd ever experienced.

It was literally sucking him dry, feasting off his own energy and using it as fuel until he was nothing more than a withered husk. Again and again he threw his might against the invading force yet only made it worse. His watched with horror as the black veins closed in... reaching his neck... his jaw... his eyes...

A blinding light burst into existence in front of him followed by a searing pain. Rayquaza felt as if a fire had replaced his blood and now burned through his veins. He screaming in agony as the light seared through him, a righteous flame that burned away the growing corruption. Where the fires went, they left behind not pain but rejuvenation. The Sky High Pokemon felt millenia younger as the cleansing was completed, burning away the black tendrils and leaving him in a state of bliss.

His head was still laid on the floor, his eyes half lidded and a trickle of blood leaking out of his mouth. Four golden hooves greeted his gaze and he slowly lifted his eyes to look up at the one who'd just saved his life. "_**Father...**_"

Arceus stood before him in all his regal glory, the same cleansing light radiating from his body. The Alpha Pokemon lowered his head to regard one of his original children, eyes narrowed slightly. "_**So... he's back... My dear brother has decided to return...**_"

The younger Legendary merely nodded slowly, still feeling ashamed about his easy defeat. "_**He was... too strong... I failed in my duty... I'm sorry... father...**_" He groaned.

The God of all Pokemon merely shook his head. "_**You failed no one, son. I'm amazed you lasted as long as you did. My brother is a cruel being, utterly without mercy, and he's extremely powerful, much more so than you.**_" Smiling down at his son, Arceus then grew serious, his jaw-line tightening and his eyes narrowing to mere slits. "_**You're warning buys us some time. I must summon the others to formulate a plan of action. The Council shall be held and we will deal with my brother one way or another. In the meantime you should get some rest, I fear the worst is yet to come...**_"

With that he was gone, instantly teleporting himself to the Council Chambers. Rayquaza kept his eyes on the area his father was just occupying seconds before, holding onto a new-found hope that they weren't too late to stop all this... '_**I hope my brothers and sisters arrive soon... maybe we can stop him... for all our sakes... I hope...**_' With the last of his energy he passed out, a hopeful expression on his face.

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

Dawn awoke to the sounds of battle, panicked cries and shouts of alarm. She found herself fully clothed and lying on her back in some kind of storage room, immediately checking for Ash, but found no sign of her raven haired lover. '_Just where the hell am I? And where is everyone?_'

Cautiously she stood, and immediately froze noticing she wasn't alone. There were several men in strange metallic suits hurrying about the room in some kind of frenzied panic. Catching a glimpse at the badge on one of their chests, she immediately knew who these people were. '_Team Plasma! But where are we? Am I a prisoner?_' The last thought made the most sense to her, yet if so, they were quite liberal with their captives. She wasn't chained or bound or anything, and on top of that it was as if they couldn't even _see_ her.

Gathering her courage, she made her way over to the closest Grunt who was busy attaching three Pokeballs to his belt. A droplet of sweat ran down her face as she gingerly tapped him on the shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even batted an eyelid at her, but that's not what surprised her so. Rather the fact that her hand went straight _through_ him. Testing it again she repeated the action to find the same result. In fact she found herself stumbling backwards in her bewilderment only to fall straight through the table behind her and land hard on her backside, causing her to grunt in pain. '_Well the floor is certainly solid enough..._'

She had only just regained her feet when a violent tremor shook the room, causing several cracks to appear in the ceiling and a cascade of dust to fall. Unprepared for such, Dawn fell forwards and smacked into the nearby wall, causing her to grunt in pain. '_The walls are real enough, too. Just what the hell is going on here?_ _Am I... dead? Is this what being a ghost is like?' _

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stood and forced calm upon herself. With a deep breath the young coordinator took stock of what was happening around her, and how best to proceed with the situation she'd found herself in. For one thing she seemed to be invisible to the Team Plasma members, which she was grateful for, and only the walls and floor seemed to be impassable to her. A lot of questions hung in the air with no visible answers, and she looked at the stressed out Grunts around her with growing frustration. '_Keep calm Dawn! Think! What would Ash do in a situation like this?_'

She wasn't given much time to ponder however, as someone in flashier armor than those around her burst through the room's only door. The bluenette assumed this one was an officer of sorts as he began bellowing orders. "Move it you maggots! We need immediate reinforcements on the lower levels! The Great Sage is about to finish his plan and we must hold off the intruders long enough to ensure that he and King N can accomplish what they need to!"

A chorus of "Yes sir!" sounded out from the room as everyone immediately grabbed their belongings and hurried out the door following their leader.

Dawn stood there for a moment a little shocked, before running after them. If anything she had to try to find out more and decided to explore a little to get some answers. Stepping out into a long ornate hallway with an elaborate red carpet, all she saw were more Grunts hurrying off down a set of marble steps at the far end of the corridor.

The sense of panic was palpable, and another tremor caused the ground to shake. Sounds of battle could be heard far off and she decided to venture over to the stairs to see what was happening on the lower levels.

Upon reaching the floor below her she was greeted with utter chaos. A large battle was raging all along a large open room with countless Pokemon clashing against one another in a maelstrom of bodies and attacks. There had to be at least a hundred Team Plasma members down here and just as many assailants. Already there were several people laid unconscious at the sides. '_Well at least they have the grace to move the wounded out of the way..._' she thought somewhat solemnly.

Scanning the crowd she gasped, recognizing some familiar faces. Burgh, Clay and Elesa were seen in the thick of it with all of their Pokemon out and fighting, with several others the bluenette didn't know. They seemed to be holding their own even if they were drastically outnumbered. '_Well they are Gym Leaders, I suppose..._'

Deciding there wasn't much more to see here other than what she already had, Dawn marched back up the steps and past the rushing Grunts, wanting to head up the stairs on the other side of the corridor. Upon reaching the next floor she found it eerily deserted, and all the rooms she passed were empty. Confused she glanced out of the windows that lined the corridor, yet all that greeted her gaze was a impenetrable blackness. '_Strange..._'

A terrifying roar bellowed throughout the place, shaking everything much like the earlier tremors had, yet this seemed to originate from above her rather below, and she shuddered to think what exactly awaited her on the upper floors.

"Well... there's only one way to find out." She spoke aloud, finding that her voice strangely echoed. "I might even find answers as to where in Arceus' name I am."

Setting off in a fast run she bolted up the stairs, climbing ever higher. Each new floor she was greeted with was the mirror of the last, with an equal number of empty rooms. After this scenario kept repeating itself she began thinking that she was simply running in an endless loop without realizing, similar to the effect keeping everyone imprisoned during their little adventure at Alamos Town. Frustrated she sprinted up the next set of stairs, and stopped when she reached the next floor, amazed.

This floor had seemingly heard her pleas and answered in kind. Surprisingly enough, it was actually different to the last eight. Instead of rows of empty meeting and storage rooms she was greeted with a single large, gilded door surrounded by two exquisite and ornamented fountains. The gold decorated and rich mahogany doors had been smashed into splinters and the fountains had bits of wood floating in their pristine waters. Whatever had passed through here recently had done so by sheer force.

Trepidation building the bluenette found her courage and stepped through the ruined mess the door had become, only to be blasted back by another pained and powerful roar. The force of the sound was staggering, and very, _very_ close. Keeping her footing only barely she pressed on and into the room beyond.

Before her stretched a cavernous space with a singular walkway down the center. Gilded golden architecture was present across the walls and rich marble pillars lined the outskirts of the chamber. The roof was exquisitely painted to resemble Team Plasma as the saviors of all Pokemon, and the center had the picture of their world with a Plasma Badge encrusted in the middle. She scoffed at _that_ and let her eyes continue to roam the details. Lighting had been placed around the room, expensive looking lamps and chandeliers that illuminated everything with ease, and the pure gold cosmetics glinted in their glow. The walkway before her was framed with more gold, like the path of some vain king. A royal red carpet stretched from where she was stood right to the far side ending at the foot of several marble steps and a gilded throne. Several Team Plasma banners hung from the vast ceiling around the edges of the room, still and stoic. Yet damage was clearly visible on some of it, some of the banners were burned or torn and in several places large chunks had been taken from the gilded ornaments and stone pillars.

All of this was impressive to be sure, yet it's not what truly captivated the bluenette's undivided attention, rather the people stood in the chamber and what they were doing. In this room, the most expansive looking and exquisite room Dawn had ever laid her eyes upon, raged a Pokemon battle. A battle of fierce proportions if the damage around her was any indication.

In front of the large throne stood two men, one she immediately recognized with a gasp and one she had never seen before, yet he bared a striking resemblance to the first. N was stood in embroidered robes with a jeweled crown placed upon his bushy green hair, a look of resignation and defeat in his eyes... and something else. It took a while for Dawn to realize what, but she finally placed it... betrayal.

The man next to him was a complete contrast, looking triumphant, joyous and utterly _insane_. He too wore grand robes around his shoulders, yet these were black as night and he carried a strange cane in one hand with the Team Plasma symbol engraved at the hilt, whether he used it for support or some other reason she couldn't say. A red lens covered one eye whilst the other was bloodshot, the pupil tiny and shaking. His green hair was stylized into three prongs that snaked back over the top of his head, the rest pulled back sharp and trailing down his shoulders. He was laughing maniacally at the scene before him with a maddening relish. Whoever he was, he was completely and utterly crazy.

Stood behind him on two large, stocky legs, was an enormous Pokemon she'd never seen before. It stood bipedal yet was lent over with its head barely off the ground. Grey and white scales covered its body and it had a light blue crest covering the majority of its face. It's wings and tail were made much of the same, although she could hardly call them that. They looked misshapen and incomplete somehow... like they were once wings, yet somehow now weren't? She definitely found it amusing. The only other features of note were the yellow strip atop its skull with matching eyes that seemed to be squinting in... pain?

A glowing white stone floated in the air at the center of the torn up throne room, and with a startled gasp Dawn realized she recognized it. It was the Light Stone! The very object N had stolen from the Nacrene Museum before he fled from sight. She briefly wondered what it was doing here and the significance it played in the current situation.

Her eyes moved of their own volition towards two individuals who were stood closer to where she was standing, their backs turned to her. She felt her eyes widen and the blood drain from her face. Even with the shock of everything in this strange place, she wasn't sure how she could have possible only just noticed _them _now. She didn't need to see her own face to know a copy of herself was stood a few meters into the room, and stood next to this version of herself was a rather beaten looking Ash. They both looked worse for wear; Clothes torn, hair in tangles, and several burn and scratch marks adorning their visible skin.

In front of Ash an enormous black dragon type - which by appearances could only be _the_ Zekrom that had given Pikachu such a power boost - was laid on the floor, and looking worse than the copys of themselves did. It was obviously on its last legs and had apparently been in a pretty severe battle.

Any further observations were cut abruptly short as the man in black robes started speaking. Even stood so far away the madness was evident in his tone.

"Pathetic!" He spat, "Is this all you can do, _Guardian_?" He broke down into manacle laughter. "You've failed! Now you can watch your precious world burn and die! I'll reshape it in MY image and anyone I don't deem worthy of living in MY paradise shall be ERADICATED!"

"Are you insane?!" Ash spat, glaring daggers at the deluded Sage.

Turning towards a broken N, he smirked. "And you! You're more worthless than him! You honestly thought I'd do all this for the sake of _Pokemon_?" More insane laughter erupted from his lips as his eyes became more and more bloodshot. "Naive idiot!" He clenched his fist into a ball and swung it hard into N's face, sending blood and spittle flying as the younger male collapsed into a heap on the floor. "You aren't worthy to bear my name..."

"N!" Ash yelled taking a shaky step forward whilst clutching his side.

"Ash don't! You're in no condition to fight!" The vision of Dawn yelled.

"Listen to your little girlfriend, _boy_!" The older man snarled. When Ash kept walking towards him he narrowed his gaze, then turned his attention to N's whimpering form. "Well well, isn't this touching? It seems you actually did make a friend, _son_."

N glanced up, a trail of blood leaking down his chin. He saw the raven haired teen striding towards him with the determined look in his eyes. "Forgive me... I wasn't... strong... enough..." he whispered before falling unconscious.

Already bored with his son, the elder man turned his attention back to the limping figure slowly advancing on him. The edges of his mouth turned up slightly and the barest hint of his white teeth became visible through cracked lips. "Well... since you're so eager. I'll kill you quickly... after all I've got a world to remake..."

"I wont let you! Your insane schemes end here, Ghetsis!" Ash retorted venomously.

The real Dawn winced in shock, '_This is Ghetsis? The man who Tobias mentioned?_'

"You won't? What a shame..." Ghetsis broke out a chuckle. The veins in his body began bulging, showing from under his skin and giving him an almost inhuman look. "And just how do you plan to STOP ME?!" He roared, shoving the cane forwards towards the floating stone. "NOW KYUREM, CONSUME THE LIGHT STONE!"

Ash stopped dead in his tracks and gasped along with everyone else at what they had just heard. Surely he couldn't mean that?

Before everyone's stunned gaze, the lumbering form of Kyurem strode forward, all the while glaring death at Ghetsis. Unwanting to act but unable to resist, the Boundary Pokemon roared its frustration before opening its enormous jaws wide and swallowing the glowing sphere before it.

Kyurem's form began emanating an intense white light similar to that of an evolution, as it began to change its shape. It's lumbering torso became erect and its seemingly unfinished wings became completed. A generator formed on its tail, and several wire like appendages sprouted from it's back, connecting to it. When the glow faded it became the most peculiar looking Pokemon the bluenette had ever laid her eyes on. It literally looked like someone had taken two Pokemon and simply mashed them together.

"No! Reshiram! What have you done... you monster?!" Ash roared, his face contorted with anger.

'_Reshiram?! Kyurem?! Oh no... this is bad..._' Dawn thought nervously.

Ghetsis' skin was turning a blood-red color and a trickle of his life fluids were pouring out of his eyes, nose and mouth. "The time of my ascension has come! I will bleed this wretched world and reforge it as I see fit! Now Kyurem! Use Ice Burn!"

Crystalline shards of ice began forming around the Boundary Pokemon, spinning in an orbit around his torso with ever-increasing speeds. When they became a blur to the eyes they ignited, yet they didn't melt as one might assume. The flaming ice shards then darted towards the fallen black dragon type laid out behind Ash.

Zekrom lifted his massive head and gave his new Master a look of defeat, and regret. '_**Forgive me, Great One... I couldn't prevent the end of our world... I'm sorry...**_' with that he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, knowing full well what his death would cause.

The raven haired teen saw this and used what little Aura he had left to boost his speed and place himself between Zekrom and the attack. "No! I won't let you die!" Holding out his arms to either side, Ash faced the attack head on, willing to give up everything to save the world he held so dear.

"Ash!" Both Dawn's screamed simultaneously, running towards the person they loved the most. As she moved however, time began to slow down. The attack that was heading towards her lover became increasingly sluggish the closer it got to puncturing his body, as did her own movements. When she was a few mere feet away, time stopped entirely and she was frozen in place. The flaming ice shards also ceasing their advance, a centimeter from contact with Ash's flesh.

Ghetsis was locked in a position of a triumphant grin, looking more insane still than he did animated, and N was still laid out on the floor beside him.

The young coordinator couldn't move anything but her eyes, despite her strongest attempts. '_I... I can't move a muscle! What in the world is happening now?_'

Her eyes began scanning the room, she found it extremely curious that she could still move them, as nothing else responded to her commands. Nothing seemed different... until her gaze landed upon the ornate throne behind the crazed leader of Team Plasma...

Writhing shadows began swirling within the seat, becoming darker and more intense with each passing second, until finally a humanoid figure of sorts appeared. The figure sat on the throne with its arms resting on the sides of the chair. She could make out no features, this being, whatever it may be, was made entirely out of shadows. Only one thing was visible... it's blazing crimson eyes; Eyes that bored into you and searched for weakness, eyes that made you whither beneath their intense gaze, eyes with the burning hunger of pure malice.

Those eyes slowly turned until they were fixated upon her own, causing her to wince in pain. The hatred within was strong enough to inflict agony, and she quivered in fear. Terrified, the bluenette tried to close her eyes to no avail, they were stuck open, forced to witness whatever was about to happen.

The being on the throne regarded her curiously, before smirking, revealing rows and rows of serrated teeth gleaming white against the mass of shadows. There were too many teeth for Dawn's liking.

Turning its head towards the ceiling, it regarded it cooly, as if looking at something only it could see. "_**So brother... what is it you don't want me to know?**_"

It's voice was cold and smooth, echoing and seemingly coming from everywhere. It made the young coordinator shiver despite her predicament.

"_**Interesting...**_" It mused, standing slowly and making its way over to the still form of Ghetsis. Standing next to the insane man, it turned it's 'head' towards her, with that same confident yet horrifying smile. "_**Do you fear me girl?**_" It chuckled slightly, noticing the bead of sweat dropping down her face. "_**You needn't worry... I'm not here to kill you... yet. I'm simply here to observe. My beloved sibling has sent you this gift without my consent... and that hurts my feelings...**_" it tsked, the smirk never leaving its 'face'.

Turning the blood-red eyes upon Ghetsis, it looked over his form with something that might have been pity. "_**Ahhh Ghetsis, my faithful little puppet... How foolish of you to believe you had any control in this...**_" Lifting one arm up, it's eyes alighted with a savage glee "_**Still... you were useful... for a time...**_" In a speed that was almost uncatchable it thrust its arm through Ghetsis chest, spewing blood out as it breached through the other side. Ripping it back out, it clutched the Great Sage's still beating heart within its palm. A savage howl erupted from its mouth.

Dawn's eyes widened, watching with horror as the being slowly crushed the heart within his hand, the various veins still connected to it. It's face became twisted in an intense anger, its lips pulled up in a vicious snarl as blood and pieces of flesh dripped between its clawed fingers.

"_**He will learn his lesson soon enough...**_" Dropping the organ as if it were of no consequence, he made his way over to Ash, looking at the burning ice shards about to penetrate his body.

The young coordinator struggled against the force holding her in place as it approached her lover, desperate to protect him against whatever this... _thing_... planned on doing.

It seemed to realize this, however, and merely smirked at her. "_**It's no use mortal... You can't break free... My power holds you and everything else in place... You can only move your eyes because I allow it...**_"

Her mind was screaming at her to move, but she couldn't do anything. Her body was too weak to resist whatever he was doing to keep her locked in position.

"_**Human love... such a disgustingly powerful force... yet... so easily broken...**_" He began lifting his arm up in front of Ash's chest.

Despite the incredible amounts of power keeping her locked in place, Dawn still managed to work her mouth. "No! Stop! Don't you hurt him!"

This momentarily surprised the being, and he looked at her with curiosity. "_**Well now... aren't we full of surprises?**_" He lowered his arm and began walking over to her, stopping a couple of meters away. "_**To be able to overcome my time stop with only will power... I'm impressed...**_"

The young coordinator growled at him, his mocking tone causing her anger to rise. "If you so much as touch him, I'll rip you to pieces with my bare hands!" She spat out.

"_**Is that so?**_" He laughed, eyeing her with some amusement. Briefly his eyes flashed and Dawn screamed in pain, a trail of blood running out her mouth. '_That was a Psychic attack! Just what is this thing anyway? And why am I even here?_'

"_**Ah you have questions? Why didn't you just ask me... I'm not a monster, you know...**_"

Dawn gasped in shock, narrowing her gaze at her captor, '_What the?! Is it reading my thoughts now?_'

The shadowy figure merely smirked at her, revealing its pointed teeth at her again. "_**You want to know what I am? I'm touched... I believe your kind would classify me as a 'Pokemon', although I find that term horrible oversimplified, but it's enough for your tiny mind to handle... I suppose...**_"

'_It's a Pokemon?_' Even the thought sounded incredulous to her.

"_**As to why you're here... well I had nothing to do with that. You should ask my dear brother why he sent you this little vision of his, if you wish. I merely came to see what all the fuss was about... No doubt he was trying to show you something important, which is why I had stop it... couldn't have you getting in my way, now could I?**_" It grinned without mirth as it took a few steps towards her, stopping just in front of her face. "_**I have enjoyed our little chat mortal... but I've grown bored with this little vision.**_" Lifting the palms of its hands upwards, vast amounts of darkness erupted out, turning the entire world black. "_**I'm sure we will meet again... In fact... I'm looking forward to it...**_" The growing darkness engulfed Dawn, blocking out all her senses. It invaded her mouth, her eyes, her ears... it filled her lungs with its suffocating density... her vision swam... she screamed...

Bolting upright in a cold sweat, Dawn continued to scream. The bed covers around her were drenched and her hair was matted against her skin.

The sudden outburst of noise awoke Ash from his slumber immediately, and he was on high alert for any immediate threats. Finally realizing that Dawn was having some sort of panic attack, he quickly embraced her and held her close to his chest. "Dawn! Calm down! It was just a dream! You're safe now, I'm here." He could feel her heart beating rapidly against his torso, as he began stroking her hair in an effort to calm her down.

Tears running down her face, the bluenette took in several deep breaths to steady herself, eyes clenched shut and burying her face into Ash's chest. "It was awful Ash... there was you and me... and everyone... there was N... and Ghetsis... and this... this... this _thing_... and I don't know..."

"Shh shh it's ok, it was just a dream." He reassured her.

Dawn shook her head slowly, "No you don't understand... it wasn't like an ordinary dream Ash. It felt _real _somehow... and I didn't have control... I actually felt pain in it... I-I'm so glad you're here..."

The raven haired teen furrowed his brow at this. '_She actually felt pain in a dream?_' Now that was something he wasn't expecting. It certainly ruled out the normal aspect... Although further pondering was interrupted by the sounds of her light snoring.

Quickly glancing down he realized she'd fallen asleep against him, and he smiled at her, still holding her close and softly stroking her hair. He was in no position to get back to sleep without waking her, so decided just to stay awake. As long as Dawn was ok he'd be fine. Quickly glancing at her Poketch, he saw that it was 4 am and let out a soft sigh.

After watching the world through their suite window for a few minutes, Ash got the distinct feeling that he was being watched. His curiosity piqued, he turned his attention back towards the room and saw Pikachu stood on the floor staring at him with wide eyes. "Uh hey buddy, did we wake you?"

His long time faithful traveling companion simply stood as still as a statue, staring directly at him, although it seemed to Ash that he wasn't actually looking at anything. Sweatdropping, the young Guardian waved his free hand back and forth in front of the dazed Pokemon. "Err... Pikachu?"

No response. It was as if he'd be put into a coma or trance of sorts, although he could think of nothing that could have caused such a state. '_He hasn't been hit by a Confuse Ray recently, or any similar move... I wonder what's made him like this..._'

Going over in his head what happened the night before, Ash could think of nothing. They'd come back from the Gym Battle and then ate. '_Could he of eaten something off? No... that doesn't seem likely... Cilan's cooking is always perfect..._' After that they'd retired here, and he and Dawn had... Ash's eyes bulged and he nervously glanced down at his best friend, '_Oh no... he didn't see us did he? He couldn't have... he was fast asleep when I brought him in... wasn't he?_'

"Uh... Pikachu... did you um... wake up a little early last night?" Still staring into oblivion, Pikachu made no response to Ash's question. The raven haired teen sighed, '_Well it's only just started and already this day is becoming... eventful. I just hope the rest of the day is as normal as possible._'

He'd only just thought that when two of his Pokeballs, still attached to his belt on the floor, began to glow an intense white and vibrate furiously. Before he even knew what was happening they both disappeared in a brilliant flash. He stared at his now four remaining Pokeballs, eyebrows raised in confusion. '_Latias and Cresselia's balls are gone... what in Arceus' name is going off now?!_' Looking out the window of their room with exasperation, he sighed again knowing that this day would be anything BUT normal...

**The Halls of Origin**

Arceus stood in the exact center of a large, perfectly spherical room, which had no apparent entrance. The room was surrounded by large carved marble columns, each one gilded at the top and bottom with detailed depictions of the creation of life. Several braziers provided the only light and each stood between a set of the large pillars, their flames flickering back and forth. The floor was plain white marble, smooth and cold. The ceiling, however, told a different story. If you decided to look up, you'd be greeted with a window into the universe itself, the impossibly large space and the endless amounts of stars within it looked down upon anyone stood within the chamber.

The God Pokemon had his eyes closed in concentration, a faint glow emanating from his body. As he did this several forms began to materialize around him, each one different from the last. The Legendaries that made up the Council began forming as the summoning was performed, each of them taking a designated spot which they had held for as long as any of them could remember.

When Arceus at last opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his many sons and daughters, all of them stood in the rooms inner circle around him. However it appeared that two of the members had appeared in an entirely unique fashion. Sitting on the ground were two rather nondescript Pokeballs, and the gathered Legendaries all turned their amused gazes towards them.

As if detecting their scrutiny, both balls began shaking wildly, rocking back and forth on the floor. As one they burst open, spilling out their bright light, becoming the two missing Council members.

"_**Well it would seem my daughters have found themselves new beds... I hope this won't make you lazy Latias, Cresselia.**_" Arceus spoke with mirth, eying them both curiously.

Cresselia blushed slightly, bowing her head to cover her reddening cheeks. In stark contrast Latias merely yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "_**Ugh, what time is it? You'd better have a good reason for awakening me this early father!**_" Realizing that all the eyes of her peers were directed her way, she scowled, "_**What?**_"

Suicune cocked a brow slightly, regarding her form. "_**Ehm, well... Lady Latias... it's just that you're looking rather... human, right now.**_"

"_**Huh?**_" Came the bleary reply from the brunette as she glanced down at herself, realizing that she was indeed still in her human guise. "_**Well I like looking this way, so what?**_" She muttered before glaring daggers at Darkrai, trying to divert the attention from herself. "_**And how come you didn't arrive in a Pokeball?**_"

He merely shrugged, brushing off her early wake up induced rage, "_**I was undergoing some tests with Professor Oak, he usually stays up until around 5 am conducting reasearch...**_"

Azelf, whom was floating to her right began to chuckle slightly.

The female Eon Pokemon whirled, glaring him down. "_**What's so damn funny?!**_"

"_**Well dearest sister, I just find your current hair style rather amusing. Is your intent to break every comb that runs through it?**_" The Being of Willpower responded, smirking playfully.

Reaching up and running her fingers through her brunette locks, Lati realized she had a rather bad bed head. Upon seeing the realization dawn on her face, Azelf lost his self-control and burst out laughing.

Latias deadpanned and erupted in fury. Whirling around she clobbered the Sinnoh Legendary on the head with her fist, sending him flailing into the hard floor. "_**Azelf! Keep your stupid comments to yourself!**_"

Uxie who was floating next to his brother merely sighed in exasperation, helping him off the floor as he groaned. Leaning in close he whispered, "_**Azelf have you lost your senses?! You don't insult a female's looks when she just wakes up!**_" Behind him Mesprit cocked an eyebrow, and he smiled sheepishly back at her.

On the other side of the room Lugia rolled his eyes, "_**Calm down Lati, I'm sure the Being of Willpower didn't mean it... and I'd rather that we didn't start this meeting with Azelf's mangled corpse leaking blood all over the floor...**_"

"_**Ever the serious one, aren't you brother?**_" Rayquaza smirked from his spot.

The Diving Pokemon merely gave his sibling a 'seriously?' look with his eyes, causing the other to chuckle slightly.

"_**Children!**_" Boomed the voice of Arceus, instantly gaining the full attention of everyone gathered. "_**If you're done we have incredibly important issues to discuss!**_" The nature of his tone shattered the humour, and the gathered Legendaries took on a serious look.

Seeing that he had everyone's undivided attention, Arceus continued. "_**I'm sure you're all wondering about**_ _**the reason for summoning all of you to this emergency Council meeting...**_" After noting the expectant and curious looks he nodded, took a deep breath and spoke, "_**My brother... has returned...**_"

Blank looks and utter silence followed, with the exception of Rayquaza who was carefully watching the reactions of his siblings.

"_**What?! That monster is back?! Then let's deal with him right now! I've been waiting to tear him to pieces after he betrayed us!**_" Dialga roared, the first one to break the silence, slamming a foot down hard in his sudden fury.

"_**I agree, if he's truly back, then we should destroy him now, before he does anymore damage! We all know what happened last time...**_" Groudon grated, eyes fixated on his father.

"_**Idiots! You really think it would be so easy? Remember how strong he was before? You really think he won't of gotten more powerful in his absence?!**_" Retorted a frustrated Articuno.

"_**Why is he back now, anyway? It's been over two hundred thousand years since he deserted. Why reveal himself after so long, and for what?**_" Queried a worried Mew, she being one of the few to have actually known him nearly as long as Arceus.

"_**Whatever it is he's doing, he's moving fast.**_" Rayquaza added, speaking up. "_**I was doing a routine patrol when I noticed it. He's begun spreading some foul blackness across the stars, effectively blocking them out. When I discovered it, I was attacked and barely escaped with my life. I also fear he's been spreading his influence amongst the humans...**_"

This caused a few to murmur quietly between themselves, and a few nervous glances to be shot in his direction. Arceus remained silent, listening to what his offspring had to say before speaking himself.

Darkrai grimaced at this, nodding his head in agreement. "_**It's true. The previous Master I was forced to serve under was working with an organization that held his presence in their minds. At the time I wasn't entirely certain what it was I was able to sense, since the influence was faint... but now that I know this, it's clear to me exactly what it was I felt...**_"

"_**What he says is true,**_" Cresselia said, looking at her old rival. "_**When I was captured I sensed much of the same on the people hurting me... He's already turning some of the humans towards his twisted schemes... What this means, I can only begin to imagine...**_"

Latias listened with increasing dread, and worry was clear on her face. "_**We have to act then! I agree with Dialga! I won't let him harm Ash or any of my friends!**_"

"_**This is more important than some human, Lati! The world is at stake and all you're worried about is an insignificant mortal?!**_" Giratina spat.

The Eon Pokemon snarled in anger, baring her fangs at her brother. "_**Don't you talk about Ash that way! He's worth more to this world than you are! And he helped you save you're own realm, because you were too pathetic to do it yourself! You worthless ingrate!**_"

Zapdos snorted at that, and Lugia rolled his eyes, both of them finding her outburst rather amusing.

"_**How dare you?! You think you're so much better?! As far as I recall yo-**_" His reply was cut off, as one of the only members left to add their voice, spoke.

"_**She has a point.**_" Everyone gathered quieted, and turned their attention to the speaker, as Ho-Oh finally joined the conversation. He spoke so rarely, even in less serious circumstances, that when he did everyone immediately shut up to listen to what he had to say. He was the type to only speak when he felt necessary, gathering all the information and making a detailed statement. His voice also carried with it a strong authority that quelled even the most hostile of arguments. "_**Ash is not just some 'some human' nor is he insignificant by any means. I've personally been keeping a close eye on him for quite a some time now, and I doubt the world would be where it is today if it weren't for him. After all he is the Great Guardian of prophecy, and the Chosen One of our father, lest you forget that brother?**_"

Giratina lowered his head, unable to argue. "_**You're right... I'm sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me...**_"

"_**As for what I think we should do...**_" The Rainbow Pokemon continued, "_**I believe we don't know enough to act right now. True he's back, and he's already set into motion whatever plan he's hatched up over the course of his departure, but running in blindly won't help the situation and will probably only play further into his hands. We all know how intelligent an opponent he is, and we'd be fools to underestimate him.**_"

Everyone gathered seemed to mull over this, and several murmurs of agreement could be heard. Dialga didn't look quite so convinced, and was about to protest when Arceus finally spoke up.

"_**Ho-Oh is right, my brother is no idiot, and he likely planned for such action by us. We need to understand exactly what his plans are before we go marching in. However know this, regardless how much we know, we will need to act soon. My brother will only have one goal in mind regardless what his machinations are... he will seek to destroy and consume MY world... Our world... like he has countless others. He walked away from us because of his desires and despite my best efforts, I've never been able to dissuade him. Now might be the only chance we have to finally end his evil ambitions so, I'd prefer to know as much as possible before we begin.**_" He paused and eyed everyone present, making sure that they had all heard him and understood fully. When he was satisfied he continued, "_**That being said, I'd like all of you to do your best to find out as much as possible before I call for action. The future of our world is in our hands, and we must not fail.**_"

The Legendaries nodded in agreement, a look of seriousness on each of their faces as in turn they disappeared from the Halls of Origin's Council Chamber in a flash of white light... all except for three.

Darkrai, Latias and Cresselia remained in their spots as the rest of their kin disappeared around them. Each shot their father a look of confusion.

"_**One final thing you three,**_" Arceus stated once the rest were gone. "_**Keep my Chosen One safe, I understand that you are all under his personal care and therefore will be at his side when the darkness inevitably comes. I have no doubt that he will play a crucial role in throwing it back, and thus so will you. Keep your eyes peeled for any hints to my brother's plans, I'm counting on you lot most of all.**_" He said that last part with a wry smile and his children seemed to be beaming with pride from the responsibility placed upon them.

"_**Yes father!**_" They all chorused in unison, before returning back to the world below. Cresselia and Latias disappearing within their Pokeballs before doing so.

The God Pokemon chuckled at that last bit, before turning his attention to the stars in the ceiling above. Sighing he remembered the day that creation began, fond memories of himself and his brother as they created a wonderful universe that would help life flourish. "_**Oh my dearest brother... why did you take such a dark path...**_" Shaking his head from his reverie, he teleported himself out and into his personal chambers. A lot of work had to be done in preparation for whatever was coming, and he had little enough time to do it. As he began his work, his mind couldn't help but drift back into the depths of his memories, to fonder days when everything seemed bright and wondrous... and to the day when one of their closest betrayed them...

**Unova Region - Driftveil City**

Ash, Dawn, Cilan, Riley and Iris were making their way out of the city as they prepared to start their way towards Mistralton and Ash's next Gym Badge. Lati had chosen to stay in her Pokeball after arriving back from her little Council meeting, saying she'd rather go back to bed if possible when Ash had let her out upon her return to find out what had happened. Being as enthusiastic as ever, the raven haired teen was leading the group with a big smile plastered on his face. Pikachu however was sat on his shoulder looking like a zombie, heavy bags beneath his eyes as he stared into space.

Cilan had noticed it since breakfast, as he curiously watched the Mouse Pokemon eat his food with a far gone look at a rather slow pace. Deciding to voice his concerns he approached the bluenette in hopes she knew something that he didn't. "Say Dawn, you wouldn't happen to know what's the matter with Pikachu, would you?"

"Huh?" She looked at him with a puzzled expression before turning her gaze in front of her where Ash was marching away with his usual limitless energy. She saw Pikachu sat there like he'd be hit on the head with a large, solid object and immediately felt a bit worried. "I've actually not noticed until just now, although it is rather strange." She blushed whilst sheepishly scratching the back of her head. "Hang on I'll go talk to Ash."

The Connoisseur nodded as she jogged up next to her boyfriend, and tapped him on his shoulder. "Sweetie, what's up with Pikachu? He looks a bit... lifeless..."

"What?" He asked bewildered, before turning his head to look at his partner and remembered the realization he'd come to earlier in the morning. A deep blush appearing across his face, he leaned over to her and whispered softly, "I think he saw us last night... When you woke me earlier this morning with your bad dream, I found him like this and he's not snapped out of it since. I think he'll come around soon, he doesn't seem injured, just a bit... shocked..."

Going red in the face, Dawn awkwardly looked over at the small Pokemon still stood stock still on Ash's shoulder. She gave him a nervous grin whilst scratching the back of her head, "Uh, sorry you had to witness that Pikachu, I guess we kinda forgot about you..."

He merely kept gazing at nothing, completely unaware that she'd even spoken to him, which caused the bluenette to sweatdrop. Realizing that he was ok (she hoped) the young coordinator made her way back to Cilan to let him know.

"So what's the verdict?" He asked as she approached.

"He's fine, just a little tired from the battle yesterday. Ash says he'll be ok a bit later providing he takes it easy." She lied, hoping it was convincing. She didn't fancy the idea of revealing the truth to all her friends...

He seemed to buy it though and merely sighed in relief, glad that nothing serious was wrong with the small Pokemon. Riley and Iris were giving her dubious glances though, and she felt heat in her cheeks at what they suggested.

They continued up the path for next three hours without incident, a few passing trainers and wild Pokemon were seen, but nothing out of the ordinary. Ash was still in the lead, although with his growing mastery of his Aura, he had detected a familiar presence following them. He hadn't said anything to the others because he didn't deem it a threat of any sort, in fact he was fairly sure he knew what exactly it was, and decided to wait and see what it was up to. He found things like detecting people's presences a useful ability and briefly wondered what other hidden gems his Aura held.

Still keeping an eye on their stalker, he called for a lunch break as his belly was protesting quite audibly, plus it would give him a chance to see if their uninvited guest would try anything. As the group sat down and Cilan began to cook, the raven haired teen leaned over to his companions, "Guy's, I'm not sure if you've noticed but someone has been following us for the past three hours." Judging by the surprising looks on their faces, none of them had detected it.

"Really, someone's following us?" Dawn asked rather cautiously.

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about." He waved off her concerns, "In fact I'm fairly positive I know who exactly it is, but I want to try something to flush them out."

"You can actually sense people's presences already?" Riley asked with a raised brow.

"Uh yeah, I am not suppose to?" Ash replied, a little confused.

Shaking his head, the older Guardian smiled, "Well you're not suppose to be able to detect other people's life essences until you've had at least three years of Aura training..." He chuckled as he remembered who exactly he was speaking to. "Although with the amount of potential you hold, it shouldn't surprise me."

"_It is indeed quite a feat, Great One._" Mumbled Lucario, in his ever obedient tone.

"So, what's your plan?" Iris questioned, a sly smile on her face.

Grinning back, Ash grabbed a Pokeball off his belt and opened it up. Lati appeared laid down on the grass beside them, looking up groggily. "_**What's up? Why'd you wake me?**_" She yawned.

"Well we have a little stalker following us, and we could use your help in flushing them out..." Ash explained. "Up for a little fun?"

Lati sat up and smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. "Ah, well then, tell me what you want me to do..."

* * *

On the edge of a nearby stream, Latias brushed the stray brunette lock of hair from her eyes as she dangled her feet into the cool water. She was sat away from the rest of the group and humming to herself, enjoying the peacefulness that the surrounding nature provided. Although in her mind she was probing the area, checking for any nearby presence with her psychic abilities. She'd found the intruder almost immediately after getting here and realized what it was. Now she was just waiting for it to show its hand.

Over in a nearby bush, a row of teeth became visible as the creature within grinned mischievously. Her black tail wagging back and forth in anticipation.

Zorua has been keeping a close eye on her wayward friends ever since she'd managed to catch up to them back in Nimbasa City. She didn't find getting through the desert in a transformation particularly pleasant, but now she could make it all worth it by having a bit of fun once again, and she knew exactly how to go about doing so.

Taking the form of a rather convincing Ash, she stepped out of the bushes and stood behind the seemingly daydreaming Lati. Placing her hands on the Legendary's shoulders, she began to massage them slowly, a wicked grin on her face.

Lati briefly smirked, expecting such, before feigning surprise. "_**What?!**_" Turning around with a look of shock, she saw the spitting image of Ash behind her. "_**Ash? What are you doing?**_"

In response 'he' grinned widely at her, giggling under 'his' breath, before leaning down, moving in to kiss her.

Even though she knew it was just an illusion performed by the Tricky Fox Pokemon, it took all her will power and self-control to not lean into the kiss. She'd been after such for so long, it was incredibly hard not to want it. However keeping her head, she instead grinned wickedly and landed a hard slap across 'his' jaw.

Taken completely by surprise, Zorua lost control over her illusion and faceplanted into the floor. "_Huh? You saw through my illusion...?_" She looked up dazed and disoriented at the smirking brunette in front of her, a red hand print on her left cheek.

The sounds of several footsteps behind her causing the small Pokemon to cast a cautious glance over her shoulder. Looking down at her with disapproving scowls stood Ash, Dawn, Iris, Riley and a Lucario. She didn't recognize some of them but that hardly mattered at this point. Giving a weak chuckle she focused on the familiar raven haired teen, "_So... you caught me out, huh? How long have you known..._"

"That you've been following us? Since we left Driftveil, more or less." He responded confidently, causing her to let out a deflating sigh. She was so sure she'd been stealthy...

"_What do you plan on doing with me?_" Zorua asked rather nervously. She enjoyed being the mischievous trickster and tormenting people, but she usually never had to face the consequences involved with her actions.

Cracking an evil grin, Ash held up a Pokeball in his hand. "Well you have two options. One, you can be a good little fox and get inside this ball and join us on our travels, promising to behave yourself. Or two," he gestured in front of her where Latias had now taken her original form and was building up a rather threatening amount of psychic energy, "You will be fried to a crisp by my friend there for trying to trick her. So, what do you say?"

Glancing at the now enraged looking Legendary in front of her, Zorua squeaked, "_Option one!_"

"I thought as much," the younger Guardian chuckled, and lobbed the Pokeball at her. Upon contact it snapped open and drew her inside with its customary beam of red energy. The ball only shook once before pinging. Upon capture it shrunk down and teleported away, since Ash's team was currently full. He realized where it was heading and smiled slightly, "Well Professor Oak will have his hands full with her, since I seriously doubt she will stop playing her pranks simply because we told her off..."

Dawn giggled at the thought, imagining the aging Professor and his assistant trying to deal with the playful Pokemon in the confines of their lab. "Do you think it was wise, to catch her?"

Ash merely shrugged, "I'd rather be able to keep an eye on her and know where she is. With her running wild you never know what she's up to and I think we've had enough encounters with her deceptions, don't you?"

Thinking back to the time when the Pokemon had masqueraded as Ash, _naked_, to her the bluenette quickly nodded in agreement.

"Guys! Dinner's ready!" Cilan called out through the tree's.

"Great, I'm starving!" Ash yelled, sprinting back towards their campsite before anyone else could even blink.

Iris merely chuckled, "He's such a kid... he never changes does he?"

"Nope!" Dawn giggled, before taking off after the raven haired teen's retreating form. Closely followed by the rest of the group.

Upon arriving back at the campsite, no one was surprised to see that Ash had already finished his first bowl, and was already moving onto seconds.

Cilan was still pouring out servings for everyone present when he noticed their arrival, "Come everyone, take a bowl and eat up! We have a long trip in front of us to Mistralton and you'll need the energy!"

The group quickly got seated and began chowing down on the delectable meal, filling themselves up in preparations for the long walk ahead of them.

**Next - Chapter 24: Trouble in the Mountains**

**Thanks for reading! I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the next chapter out sooner than it took me to write this one, but as I stated above I've found my time rather preoccupied at the moment. You don't need to worry about me ever giving up on this story though, and my updates should still be more regular than most authors.**

**Anyway, until next time Pearlshippers! Peace out!**


	24. Trouble in the Mountains

**Hello guys, welcome to the new formal and professional looking format! Sorry for the wait on this one. When I started writing it the first time around my computer ended up losing it and rewriting something really drains your motivation. However I managed to find my muse again thanks to some great Japanese music and I've pulled this out in just three days. **

**I hope its worth the wait!**

**So on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. **

* * *

**Ash and Dawn: The Unova Chapter**

**Chapter 24**

**Trouble in the Mountains**

* * *

**Unova Region - North of Driftveil**

A couple of days after their run in with Zorua, the group of friends were walking down a long, winding path towards the famous Twist Mountains. Ash, as usual, was leading their group with his endless enthusiasm for his next Gym Badge, with everyone else following slightly behind at a more reasonable pace.

Lifting his cap slightly and gazing skyward, Ash took in the sight of the enormous mountain range rising up before him and grinned. "We're almost there now buddy, just through these tunnels and we'll be at Mistralton and our next Gym Badge!"

Not getting a response of any sort, the young Guardian glanced over at his left shoulder to see Pikachu staring off into space, not really looking at anything in particular, and a small amount of drool pooling in the corner of his mouth. Sweatdropping, Ash facepalmed and sighed, "You've still not snapped out of it huh?"

Again he got no response, although he was hardly expecting one.

A small ways behind him the rest of the group was chatting amiably within themselves, although Riley kept himself out of the small talk as much as he could, he wasn't one for idle chatter. "So Dawn, tell us some more of what was it like competing in the Grand Festival, I've only heard a little about those prestigious events, but it sounds like the most wondrous recipe!" Cilan asked as they tried to keep up with Ash's relentless pace.

"Oh it was amazing!" Dawn beamed, "It really was a dream come true for me, and it was everything I'd ever imagined and more! There was so many wonderful coordinators there, and the displays of skill and beauty were so pretty!" She sobered somewhat as she continued, "Although I only came in second place... I was so close to realizing my dream..."

"Cheer up Dawn! Second place in such an event on your first attempt is nothing to be down about!" Iris quipped, trying to lift the bluenette's spirits.

"Axew!" The little tusk Pokemon added enthusiastically, nodding in agreement.

Smiling again Dawn shook her head, "It's fine, really. I was overjoyed for my friend, Zoey, who'd won. We'd been rivals in the coordinating scene for almost the entirety of our Sinnoh journey, and I was truly happy for her."

Cilan nodded at her, an almost proud glint in his eyes. "True camaraderie! Great friends that support each other and push each others limits through thick and thin, then being genuinely happy for the other even if you're the one who lost out. That's what being a true rival and friend, is all about."

Dawn looked at him and giggled at his theatrical antics. She liked Cilan, he was almost as goofy with his metaphors and speeches as the love of her life could be, although with the latter he wasn't aware he was even doing it. Thinking of Ash, she looked up only to notice that he'd gotten a little too far in front of them without any of them realizing. "Ash! Wait up!"

Turning he looked back at them and waved, "It's ok Dawn! I can see the cave entrance from here! I'll meet you guys inside, I wanna go check it out!"

Cilan whipped out his handheld pocket map and fumbled around in his haste unwrapping it. Quickly scanning the section about the Twist Mountain tunnel network, his eyes widened and he sweatdropped. "Ash it would be most wise for you to wait for us! It's like a maze inside that mountain and one wrong turn could-" He stopped himself as he looked up only to see Ash's rapidly retreating form. "-get you severely lost." He finished with a sigh of defeat.

"Come on we better catch up before he gets too far into the tunnels. I love him, but his sense of direction is hardly reliable, even at the best of times!" Dawn blurted as she set off in a sprint after him.

"Ash, why do you have to be SUCH a kid!" Iris whined, before taking off after the bluenette.

Stuffing the map back into his pack, Cilan tried his best to keep pace with them, which wasn't easy considering he was carrying all of his cooking equipment and the groups food supply within his backpack. "Hold up guys! Wait for me!"

Riley and Lucario were left standing there, both looking rather amused. Taking one quick glance at each other, they simultaneously shrugged and set off in a run after their traveling companions.

* * *

Ash reached the cave entrance before anyone else was in sight, and curiously he made his way into the increasingly dark tunnel. "Man, I don't know how anyone would be able to find their way through this, you can barely see where you are going!" His exclamation went unanswered as Pikachu was still in his comatose state. Shaking his head briefly the raven haired teen was about to press forward when a familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Ash Ketchum!"

Turning around slowly to see his scowling girlfriend glaring at him, he grinned uneasily and had a goofy expression plastered over his face. "Hey Dawn, whats up?"

She stomped over and slapped him across the face. "Whats up?! You nearly got lost in a vast tunnel network and could've gotten yourself killed!"

He looked at her apologetically, "Yeah but was the slap really nessacery?"

Calming down somewhat, the bluenette cocked her head to the side, smiled softly, then brought him into an embrace. "I just didn't want to lose you again. I'm glad you're safe."

Smiling back he returned the loving gesture before pulling apart and looking her in the eyes, "Hey, I'm not going anywhere. And this cave sure as hell wouldn't finish me off." Thinking about it, he let out a hearty chuckle. "Man it sure would be ironic if I died here after everything I've been through."

Thinking of the events that they had been through in Sinnoh alone caused Dawn to giggled. "Yeah, that would be pretty awkward."

"Hey you two! Don't go wandering off!" Cilan called from the entrance to the tunnel system, before quickly jogging over to them with Iris and Riley in tow. "Thank goodness we found you Ash, I was worried you'd of been off down any number of these walkways by now."

Standing behind the group and glancing over the connoisseurs shoulder, Riley tipped his hat up and raised a brow quizzically. "If this is such a well traversed walkway, and used to connect two major cities of this Region, then why is it so easy to get lost? Shouldn't you close off the diverting pathways?"

Clearing his throat dramatically, Cilan gestured towards the map in his hands. "Well it might seem that that would be the logical thing to do, and thinking about it, it would save a lot of hassle. However these cave systems beneath Twist Mountain are thousands of years old and have all formed naturally. According to our historical records of this area, ancient Pokemon used to live around and in this mountain, and some even speculate that they dug out this tunnel system themselves to use as a home. That theory is supported by the many fossils that have already been unearthed in some of the off branch pathways. So while closing off all but the main route through would be beneficial to travelers, it's simply not possible as this place is protected by preservation laws used to prevent the degradation of Unova's historical landmarks."

"Oh," Riley said standing back and fixing his hat.

"Well now we've had our history lesson for today," Iris remarked rolling her eyes. "Which way do we take?"

Glancing at his map again, Cilan quickly found the correct route. "We need to follow this pathway here," He said pointed to the tunnel branching off to their right.

"Well let's go then! I've been itching to challenge the Mistralton Gym for the past two days!" Ash exclaimed taking off down the aforementioned direction.

"Oh boy, here we go again..." Iris sighed, looking up at Dawn. "He never changes, does he?"

"Nope!" The bluenette giggled, before taking off after her boyfriend. "Ash sweetie, wait for us!"

"Well I guess we better keep pace." Riley mentioned to Lucario who merely nodded at his side, before they both set off after the couple.

Cilan shook his head and placed his map back inside his pack and began to follow them, just as he was about to head down the side path, he noticed Iris had hung back, and was glancing at the entrance to the tunnel system. He raised a brow at her, wondering what she was looking for. "Iris? Is something wrong?"

Startled by his voice, she jumped and snapped back to attention, grinning sheepishly. "Oh no... just thought I heard something, that's all..."

Taking a look at the way they'd come in and seeing nothing amiss, he merely shrugged and motioned in the direction the rest had already gone. "Well we best not linger, you know how Ash gets when he's excited about something."

"Yeah..." She said in her usual exasperated way... and yet Cilan noticed a slight change buried in her tone...

He eyed her curiously as she walked past him and off down the pathway, and took one final glance at the entrance-way. Furrowing his eyebrows he mentally stored away what he'd just seen, and hurried to catch up with the group.

**Unova Region - Plasma Castle**

N walked through the halls he knew like the back of his hand, yet couldn't help but feel the chill of unease creep up his spine. Something was definitely different and something was definitely very wrong. What exactly, was a little harder for him to put his finger on.

As he made his way up the many stairs to his fathers offices at the very top of the tallest tower in the castle, he passed many Grunts and Officers going about their business. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary... so why was it that every time he walked by someone he felt a wave of _dread_ wash over him?

Shaking it off as his mind playing tricks on him, he shut off all thoughts of dread, and subconsciously quickened his pace. And yet... and yet...

Reaching the top floor he was met a very familiar face, and let out a sigh in relief when he felt no such dread upon laying his eyes upon him. "Seru! It's good to see you!"

Plasma Officer Seru was briefly surprised by the sudden arrival of his King and leader and immediately went down on one knee as the young green haired male approached. "King N! I had no idea you were back already, how went your journey?"

Thinking back to Ash and his friends, to the meeting with Anthea and Concordia and Reshiram, to the trailing of The Shadow Triad, he furrowed his brow. "It was interesting, to say the least..."

Noticing the man before him was still kneeling obediently, N shook his head and chuckled lightly, "Seru we have known each other since we were children, there is no need for such formality between us."

Seru remained knelt in place for a moment longer before reluctantly rising. Although he couldn't help but stand at attention, he smiled at the young King.

N took the opportunity to look over his old companion. He was just as he remembered him, long spiky blonde hair, immaculate Plasma Officer uniform and the most genuine smile that anyone could ever give. Seru was only a year or two older than himself, yet he'd always been beyond his years in maturity. Since they were children Seru and N had lived in the Plasma Castle, to this day he didn't know where the other male had come from, only that he'd lost his parents and was orphaned just like himself. He was the closest thing to a brother N had ever had.

"Is there anything I can do for you my King?" He asked suddenly, back in full professional mode.

Sighing N looked his oldest companion in his deep blue eyes, and nodded to himself. He could trust Seru. "Has anyone around here been acting differently since my absence?" He asked quietly, voicing his concerns.

Seru looked around uneasily, making sure no one was listening in before he quickly nodded and leaned in closer. "There have been reports... and... 'incidents', that have started popping up recently."

N didn't like the sound of that one bit. "What 'incidents'?"

"People acting strangely, some disappearing then reappearing days later and seeming colder for it, and the fact that your father has become more and more erratic with every passing day." He shifted anxiously from foot to foot before he continued, "He's started giving out really strange orders to the officers..."

N's face darkened as he took in the information, the sense of dread returning tenfold. "What kind of orders?" He asked emotionlessly.

Seru looked liked he'd rather be anywhere else than discussing this with his 'brother' and King, yet his unyielding sense of duty overrode all else. "He's been asking each of his Officers to meet with himself and the Sages in his office one at a time for a '_debriefing_'." The way he said that last word showed he thought it was anything _but_ a debriefing. "Everyone who's been '_debriefed_' has come back different. They are cold, emotionless and follow any order without question, even... murder." He visibly shook and N swore his white skin had become a couple of shades paler. "I've been delaying my 'debrief' for as long as possible, coming up with last minute missions or excuses, but I know I'll have to deal with it sooner or later..." He trailed off looking down at his feet. "I don't know what happens in that office, but I'm utterly terrified of finding out..."

They both stood there in utter silence for a while after Seru had finished his explanation. N's brain was processing everything he'd just heard and was desperately trying to make rational sense of it and failing. He felt as cold and emotionless as apparently the Officers were becoming. He couldn't imagine something like this happening to his organization, _his_ _people_... they couldn't be committing _murder_... could they? And why? Why would they be ordered to murder people... or Pokemon...

Growling in frustration, N looked at his adoptive brother with a look of steely determination set in his eyes. "Thank you for telling me all that, Seru." He said as he started off towards his fathers tower.

"What are you going to do N?"

Stopping and glancing over his shoulder, the young King fixed his gaze with Seru's own. "I'm going to find out whats really going on... and put a stop to it." Not elaborating any further he marched off and away.

Seru watched him leave and sighed. He really hoped nothing too serious was going on behind the scenes, yet his gut was telling him otherwise. He knew nothing would stop N from discovering what exactly was wrong, the man was just too determined, and hoped that he'd be ok. The last thing he wanted was for his 'brother' to come to harm as a result of something he'd told him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Plasma Officer entered the room he was standing outside and was greeted with the mirthful gaze of his partner.

"Late again Seru? You weren't looking into the females changing rooms again, were you?" Came the soft silky voice he knew all too well.

Thinking back to that time long ago when he'd been caught red-handed, he blushed slightly and hurriedly sat down at the table, pulling the documents out of his backpack. "No Tayuka, I haven't done anything like that since that day, why do you continue to bring it up _every time_ I'm late?" He asked somewhat tiredly.

She giggled, "Because I know what you're like."

Plasma Officer Tayuka looked as she always did... stunning. Twenty years old with long flowing crimson hair that reached her lower back, an ample sized chest, the most beautiful face anyone could imagine and a genuinely nice, but playful, personality to boot, she was definitely something else. Her deep, sea green eyes were locked on him playfully as she waited for his response, and he felt hot under the collar from her gaze. He kept asking himself how such an amazing woman ended up here of all places, but life has a way of throwing you a curve ball, even if you're a nice person. "Well if you must know, I bumped into N just before joining you."

Looking genuinely surprised her eyes widened slightly and she perked up. "N's back? Since when?"

"Only recently I imagine, he appeared to have just gotten back when he spoke to me." He sighed, it was obvious to just about everyone in Team Plasma that Tayuka had a bit of a crush on N, and for reasons he couldn't explain it made his chest tighten. "He was asking about-"

He shut up immediately realizing that he was probably supposed to keep what he'd discussed between himself and their King a secret.

His partner looking at him curiously and he knew he was screwed. Now she'd HAVE to know what they spoke about...

"What Seru? What was he asking about, hm?" There was a slight hint of hope in her voice, that maybe N had been asking about her.

"I don't think I'm at liberty to say..."

"Oh come on! You can't leave me on a cliffhanger like that! Was it something serious, or was it something... personal..."

"The former..." He looked at her with a pleading expression, not wanting to voice something that he'd most likely get in trouble for.

The look she shot back at him was one of intrigue and fiery determination. He sighed inwardly. Had it been anyone else he would have been able to outright refuse them on the spot, yet his resolve always seemed to crumble when with the red-head. "Ok but you have to promise to keep this between us, if this gets out I could be in a lot of trouble."

She nodded furiously and leaned in closer, her eyes glinting eagerly. "I promise! So spill! Whats this super secretive conversation you two shared?"

As he relayed everything that he and N has discussed just prior to him entering the meeting room, Tayuka's green eyes grew wider and wider.

She'd had her suspicions too, of course, very little escaped her watchful gaze. But she wasn't aware of anything quiet _this_ serious going on. She hadn't even thought anything of the officers being debriefed in front of the Sages in Ghetsis' own office, after all he was a weird old dude. And as far as she could tell nothing was different about the people leaving the room, to her they always seemed like cold, egotistical bastards anyway.

After he'd finished speaking she looked at him with a degree of concern, "So N has gone to talk to Lord Ghetsis, right now?"

He nodded slowly, "That's what it seemed like."

She dropped her gaze to the papers on the table, absently nudging them with her index fingers. "I hope everything will turn out ok..." She sighed.

He looked from her to the door, and subsequently the corridor beyond out of his line of sight, thinking about their encounter. He could only hope too. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to N and he wasn't there to stop it, or worse, it was because of something he'd said. "Yeah, me too." Turning back to face the papers in front of him he forced a smile onto his face, "Well, we have plenty to do to keep out minds occupied, I'm sure whatever is going on N will find out and put it right, he's never led us astray so far, so we should put our faith in him and everything will turn out alright."

She nodded sullenly and they turned to the task at hand. Yet despite his words and the smile on his face, Seru couldn't get rid of the growing feeling of dread that had built in his gut since his conversation with his 'brother'...

* * *

Walking up the final set of stairs to his father's office, N's mind was ablaze with questions that he wasn't sure he wanted to the answers too. All of this seemed too crazy to be happening so close to home, it didn't seem real... and yet... and yet...

Shaking his head to clear it, he approached two very stony faced Grunts who were standing guard either side of the ornate mahogany door. As he went to enter they simply blocked his path, the only action that signified they'd even acknowledged his presence at all. N looked at them incredulously. No one had treated him like this in Team Plasma, not once in his entire life, and now two _Grunts_ dared to bar him entrance into Ghetsis' chamber? "Step aside, I have urgent business with my _father_." He added extra emphasis on that last word to make it strike home.

Still they made no effort to move and merely glared at him, the one on the right finally speaking in a cold voice that betrayed nothing. "You're not expected, turn back. No one can enter without Lord Ghetsis' permission. Those are our orders."

The shock at their strange behavior now boiled into a burning outrage. "You will step aside. If I want to see MY father, two GRUNTS don't have the power to stop me. Did you forget that I outrank Ghetsis in this organization?" He asked dangerously, his voice simmering with unbridled fury.

They both narrowed their eyes at him, but stepped aside and bid him entry. Feeling the frustration and anger mix with the questions and doubts within his mind, N practically ripped the door to Ghetsis' personal chambers off its hinges as he burst into his father's personal sanctum.

The great sage himself was sat at his desk, and he looked up unsurprised as his son entered his room. "Ah N, what perfect timing. Tell me, how did your little adventure in the outside world go?"

Caught off guard by his father's casual tone and nonchalant manner, N stood and glanced around taking stock of the room that he'd been in countless times before. The first thing that he noticed was how _dark_ it had become, literally. It seemed as if the shadows in here were thicker than normal, and somehow _alive_. He couldn't bring himself to look directly into the corners of the room where they were at their thickest. The other thing he noticed was that the perpetually online surveillance screens were all fuzzy and only showing static. Glowering at the elder Sage sat in his usual seat at his desk, he pointed a finger accusingly at him, "Really? That's all you have to say? I've been hearing strange things about whats been going off here _father_, and just now your two Grunts standing guard tried to deny me entrance..." He clenched his fists and walked over to Ghetsis' desk, before slamming them down and splintering the wooden surface slightly. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" He roared, his temper finally getting the better of him.

Seemingly unimpressed with his sons display of anger, Ghetsis merely looked at where N's fists were sunk into his ornate wooden desk. He sighed, "That's going to take a while to fix, was it really nessacery to break things, N?"

N looked at him as though he'd sprouted wings and turned into a Starly. "What?!" He stammered.

Ghetsis stood and walked around the back of him, closing the door to his sanctum before turning back to face his son. "I shouldn't be surprised they let you in, you are Plasma's King, after-all." He scrunched his face up, as if annoyed by something. "I'll need to find better guards."

"What the hell is going on here?! Do you want to explain why Officers have been ordered for mission debriefing, up here, in front of you and your Sages?! I've heard disturbing tales about them after they return." N pressed, ignoring his fathers seemingly dismissive words.

Jerking his head up to look N in the eyes the Great Sage smiled. "Ah yes... that. A great change is coming soon, our dream is nearly fulfilled my son! We will soon have Unova and the whole world under our sway. I've heard that you managed to capture Reshiram also, this is great news, truly!" Walking over to his desk he retook his seat and look up at the glare that N was still giving him, "We will soon be able to force people to free their Pokemon back to the wild, and it's all thanks to our glorious benefactor!"

"What..." N shook his head, thinking he'd heard wrong. "Glorious benefactor? What are you talking about?"

Ghetsis smirked and locked gazes with his son. As N stared into the depths of his father's eyes, something infinitely dark flashed over them. A thousand images flashed before his startled gaze and he cried out in horror at what he saw. And at once he understood... he knew what his father truly planned, and the inevitable destruction that would follow.

Feeling the blood leave his face, he looked back down at his father only to see that smirk had grown into a predatorial grin, almost mocking in a way, like a lion leering over a helpless fawn.

"You... you would... but why?.." N asked, his disbelief turning once again to rage. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"

The grin never leaving his face, Ghetsis cocked his head to the side before he spoke. "So, I take it you don't approve of our new plans?"

Bristling at the absurdity of the question, the young King snarled, "Are you insane?! Of course I don't approve! And you'd be foolish to think I'm about to stand here and let yo-" Feeling another presence make itself known, N cut himself off, turning to see what it was. Before he could, he received a heavy blow to the back of his skull by a blunt object, and collapsed to the floor unconscious.

Sheathing his ornate blade of glowing blue energy, the Knight of Shadow grabbed N's limp form and threw him over his shoulder.

"Take him to his room, we need him alive for our goals to be completed. Make sure he can't leave." Ghetsis ordered, receiving an emotionless nod from the Knight as he exited the room to be on his way, the unconscious N banging unceremoniously against his black skull-adorned plate armor.

* * *

Unbeknownst to everyone present, there were three sets of eyes watching the events in the chamber of the Great Sage unfold. Hiding within the ceiling and keeping a careful track of everything that transpired, the Shadow Triad nodded amongst themselves before they disappeared from sight.

**Unova Region - Twist Mountain**

"Woah..." Ash exclaimed as they entered an enormous cavern, deep beneath the Twist Mountains. The group had trailed through several different paths leading every which way for last few hours, and had finally reached the center of the mountains.

The opening was big enough to fit an entire Pokemon Stadium within and still have space left over; The roof was decorated with stalactites, the floor with stalagmites. A soft trickle of mineral water dripped through the porous rocks from above and a perfectly clear stream could be seen in the far side from where they were stood.

Stepping fully into the room and gazing around in awe, Ash's eyes sparkled and a cheesy grin spread across his face. Cilan was the next through and he nodded proudly at his navigational abilities, "Ahh, the Chamber of the Ancients! It's so amazing to see it in person!"

Dawn, Iris and Riley followed shortly after all gazing at the natural wonder before them. "It's so beautiful..." Dawn rasped, her eyes full of wonder.

"Axeeeewwwww," Iris's companion added with equal awe.

"Hey guys! Check this out!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to where Ash was now stood. He was standing at the edge of the stream and gazing intently at the clear flowing waters. Curious as to what he'd found the group hurried over to look at his find. As they neared several gasps echoed throughout the space. Beneath the stream several skeletal outlines in the rocks could be seen, the fossils of Pokemon long since dead.

"Aaaaaaah! Tirtouga remains! I'd never imagined in a million years we'd see this!" Cilan exclaimed in wonder.

"Look there! That looks like a Omanyte shell!" Ash added giddily, smiling at the memories of the times he'd faced the ancient sea dwelling Pokemon.

Riley flicked his hat up to gain a better view, but otherwise remained silent. Dawn joined Ash as he began naming all the ancient remains he could identify, while Iris dipped her feet in the cool stream to refresh her tired feet. Little did the group know that they were being watched.

Stood behind a protrusion at the far side of the cave, two figures were stood. One was a female with long deathly blue hair falling down the back of her black skull adorned armor, fit and modified to be more feminine, her midriff exposed along with the majority of her slender thighs. The other was a male, he wore a full length cloak that ended at his ankles, with a high collar which shielded half his face from view. The cloak was full black with a red inside, and multiple images of a black Masterball with a red 'S' mark instead of the traditional 'M' were adorned over it. An ornate ring with another 'S' engraved into it sat on his pinkie. Covering his face was a mask of a snarling dragon, with only his eyes visible through two circular holes. Tufts of spiky midnight black hair stuck out over the mask from the top of his head.

"Are you ready?" He asked the female, his voice was quiet, but deep, and held a penetrating quality no matter how softly he chose to speak.

"Of course I am! I've been waiting for this for a long, long time..." Her reply was icy cold with that strange echoing undertone of malice.

The males eyes narrowed in the slits within his mask, and an aura of threat radiated from him. "Just make sure you don't fail. Tobias was a disappointment. We can't have Ghetsis' glorious plans ruined because of the Knights of Shadow's incompetence, now can we?" He turned down the passageway hidden behind the rocky outcrop and began disappearing into the darkness they had both entered from. He stopped and turned to her just before leaving her vision, his voice trailing back to her with his final warning. "You have been given tremendous power, learn to use it correctly... or die like Tobias..." Words spoken, he allowed the cloying midnight of the underground to swallow him up.

The Knight thought over his words and steeled her demeanor. She didn't know who the cloaked man was, yet she feared him more than Ghetsis and the monster that had changed her into what she was now combined. There was something about him that radiated power beyond comprehension, and being on his badside was the last thing she wanted. He'd approached her as she reached Twist Mountains, saying he knew about her and her mission and offered guidance to make sure she succeeded. '_Well, he did lead me here..._'

Grinning and building the power granted to her within her legs, she vaulted over the outcrop and came crashing down into the center of the cavern, slamming her glowing blue sword through the rocky floor as she landed.

The ground split in a jagged crack from the point of impact, racing rapidly towards Ash and his friends. Upon hearing the commotion they all turned and started in alarm as they saw the growing cavern opening up before them.

"Move!" Riley ordered, and everyone dove to the side before being swallowed by the earth.

Dusting himself off and pulling Dawn to her feet beside him, Ash braced himself in an alert stance and surveyed the room looking for the source of the threat. Pikachu had been sent flying from his shoulder, and landed harshly against the caverns wall, a combination which seemed to finally break his stupor. Following the newly opened crevice back with his eyes, Ash saw an oddly alluring woman in the now all familiar black skull adorned armor stood at the epicenter, her hands firmly gripping the hilt of an ornately fashion rune blade with the eerie blue mist radiating from it. The sword was buried half into the ground and seemed to be the cause of the sudden change in geography.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He yelled, his voice bouncing through the cavern and repeating itself several times. "If this chamber collapses, you'll kill us all!"

Standing and yanking the blade free in one smooth motion, she turned her helmeted face to look at him, her long blue hair blowing in some unseen wind behind her. Her mouth was visible through the mouth slit and a vicious smirk could be seen underneath. "Well wouldn't that be awful..."

Anger rising at the blatant disregard for such a historic place, Cilan stood and raised his own voice, "This place is one of Unova's priceless landmarks! You've just scared it forever!" Looking her over he scowled further, "Judging from your armor you're in league with Tobias! Just who are you?!"

Cocking her head she regarded him cooly and shrugged. Stabbing her sword in the floor, she placed both hands on either side of her helm and tore it off, letting it fall to the floor with a metallic clank.

"You?! It can't be!" Ash roared, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is that?.." Dawn started, her brain unable to fully understand what she was seeing.

Hollow laughter rang off the wall as full pale blue lips twisted in a horrific grin. Picking up her blade and twirling it around skillfully before settling into an attacking stance, the woman eyed the couple with anticipation. "Twerp... Twerpette... Its been far, far too long..."

"Jesse... So Tobias wasn't the only monster Ghetsis created..." Ash spat through gritted teeth.

"Tell me Twerp, how have you been in the last three months since you've been here?" She asked emotionlessly. "I'd imagine you've been having fun with all your friends, collecting badges, training your Pokemon and meeting new people..." She smirked at Dawn, "Even humping her..."

Dawn's face went a bright shade of red, yet Ash's was still twisted in rage, his gaze firmly locked on the Ex-Team Rocket member.

"Its nice you've had so much going for you... as always!" She spat, the anger building in her eerie voice. "Because all I've known since being taken captive..." She stopped, pale knuckles going pure white as her grip on the blade tightened, and when she looked back at Ash, her eyes had gone black. "IS PAIN!"

Roaring she slammed her sword against the ground, causing the entire cavern to shake and several boulders to fly up, and into the direction of the group. Everyone instantly started running, dodging the incoming barrage of rock and stone.

Riley ducked and dove, sliding under a particularly large chunk whilst Lucario force palmed a boulder to pieces that was on a collision course with his skull. Iris nimbly hopped from rock to rock, and Cilan took cover behind a nearby rock formation which successfully shielded him from the worst of it.

Because the attack was aimed directly at them, Ash and Dawn had the worst of it, as the very ground they were standing on was uprooted from beneath them and thrown at them. Unfortunately because of this they had become unwillingly separated, and had to fend for themselves rather than protect each other.

Swearing, Ash tapped into his Aura and erected a barrier before him that easily shielded himself from harm. Dawn however, was not so fortunate. Unable to dodge so many and not having Aura to rely on, she was pelted repeatedly. A particularly huge boulder caught her in the side, knocking her down and landing squarely on her legs, crushing them beneath and pinning her in place. She screamed in agony and a spatter of blood flew out of her mouth, trailing down her chin.

Hearing her pained cry Ash turned instantly, just in time to see another large chunk of rock about to squash the rest of her.

She opened her eyes through the pain of her mangled legs and looked up in fear as she saw what was coming. "Ash!" She screamed, unable to move or run, there was nothing she could do to avoid being crushed...

'_This is it..._' She thought solemnly, tears falling down her cheeks, '_The end... I love you Ash, I hope you know how much..._' As it fell she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable.

Instead she felt a blistering wind and a sense of power she'd felt only once before...

Ash stood before her, fist outstretched in a punch, blazing in the azure intesity of Aura, his capless hair blowing about wildly from the raw energy radiating from him, the boulder in pieces at his feet.

She could only gape in awe. "Ash..."

He turned back to her and gave her his goofy grin and a thumbs up. "I told you I'd protect you, didn't I?" His voice raspy with emotion.

'_Ash..._' She braced herself against the rocks as a stream of pain shot through her from her crushed legs.

He seemed to notice and narrowed his eyes at what remained of her lower legs. Grabbing the huge boulder and launching it away as if it weighed nothing, he freed her from it, although the sight beneath wasn't pretty. The bottom half of her legs were nothing more than a mangled ruin of flesh and bone, crushed beyond recognition and Dawn winced at the sight, although she could no longer feel anything.

It had an entirely different effect on Ash, as he stood transfixed at what was left of his girlfriends legs. He started shaking, his fists curled so tightly that they threatened to crush themselves.

'_Oh Ash... I'm so sorry..._' Dawn thought sadly as she saw what an effect this was having on her love. By now the blood loss from her injury was taking its toll, and her head was beginning to swim. Her vision blurred and all conscious thought fled as she blacked out and fell hard against the ruined cavern floor. '_For being such a burden..._'

Silence fell for several precious seconds.

Then an anguished roar ripped through the air, filled with raw grief and rage. Jesse barely had time to wrench her sword free from the floor before a large chunk of rock was hurled at her like a bullet. She dodged barely, nimbly leaping to the side just as another came at her, and another and another and another. Each dodged in a series of back-flips.

Ash was ripping large parts of the ground up with his bare hands, his eyes blazing azure murder at the one responsible for hurting the most precious person in the world to him. His hands had become bestial claws, an Aura extension that had lengthened and sharpened each finger, allowing him to carve through granite stone like water.

Pikachu who now had his full wits back, stared sadly at what had become of his trainer, "Pika..."

Growling the blue haired Knight placed her sword before herself and sliced through the boulders launched at her, her blade movements moving like a blur. Placing power into her legs she leapt towards the sender, deflecting each projectile on the way.

Seeing her approach, Ash gave up throwing the parts of the mountain at her, and instead leapt to meet her in the air, not caring about anything other than tearing her to pieces as the rage infected his mind.

As they neared, flying through the air, Ash pulled back one hand in preparation to trade blows, his mouth open in a feral snarl. Similarly Jesse had her sword poised and ready to strike the moment they got into range.

Fist met blade, and a series of a powerful strikes clashed, vast amounts of power fighting each other for dominance.

Growling in frustration at her lack of progress Jesse kicked Ash in the stomach and sent him hurtling back into the ruined cavern floor, where he smashed into the ground and sent a dust cloud flying upwards.

The Knight of Shadow landed gracefully, then quickly whipped her sword around before her head repeatedly, creating a swirling darkness that gathered and grew. When a large sphere of the stuff has been acquired she thrust the blade upwards and infused it with the power of the gems causing it to glow several different colors. "After all the pain you've put us through... all the suffering... all the failures... there is only one way to repay you in kind!" She ranted as the shadows swirled with power around her blade, "NOW DIE!" Quickly swinging her sword arm around her body in an arc, she launched the blade directly at him surrounded by the pulsating darkness that had engulfed it.

Eyes flaring, a large barrier of Aura flew up around him and Ash braced for impact.

The blade hit along with its accompanying darkness, and both powers ground against one another, neither making progress. Beginning to sweat from the pressure of holding the blade at bay, the young Guardian gritted his teeth as images of Dawn's limp and crushed form filled his mind. Eyes snapping open and unhinging his rage completely, he roared something that didn't sound human, and the Aura barrier expanded, the sheer force of it blowing the rune blade away and sending it clattering off the caverns walls.

"What..." Jesse remarked, genuinely surprised, just before she saw Ash flying towards her with his now clawed fingers outstretched, his entire body surrounded in the most intense azure flame she'd ever seen.

Hands whipping to the Pokeballs at her waist she grabbed one and enlarged it... a few seconds too late. Colliding with the Knight at the speed of a bullet, Ash sent the both of them careening into the far wall, causing several chunks of rock to fall from the ceiling and walls and the entire cavern to shake ominously.

Then he was upon her, all snarls and claws. Repeatedly smashing her in the body and face, breaking bone and tearing flesh. "You... used... to... have... goodness... within... you!" He fumed whilst still battering the Knight to a bloody pulp, "WHAT HAPPENED! TELL ME! WHY!"

Riley who'd been keeping his distance was crouched on a nearby rock watching the display play out with Lucario at his side doing likewise. Even if he'd tried to stop it, he'd of just gotten himself beaten in a similar fashion. Ash was in no state to be reasoned with.

Cilan, coughing and covered in rock dust, climbed up next to him and laid his eyes on the frightening scene unfolding at the far side of the cavern. "Is that... Ash?"

Riley nodded solemnly, "I'm afraid so... he's lost himself to his grief and anger. The almost limitless amounts of Aura within are only fueling his rage further, hence the bestial state. He's no longer thinking with reason." Standing he pulled a strange device from his pocket and expanded it, revealing it to be a staff of sorts. "I was afraid this might happen..."

Leaping from boulder to boulder Riley walked up behind the fighting pair and struck Ash directly in the back with his staff, thanks to his unwavering focus on reducing the Knight to nothing more than mush, he hadn't even noticed him approach. The effect was instantaneous. The young Guardian jerked and shuddered as the Aura surrounding him was siphoned away and into the strange device. When it was done he fell limp, face first, onto what was left of Jesse.

Job done he placed the staff away and sighed in relief, then gently lifted Ash up and slung him over a shoulder. Gazing down he saw a barely breathing Jesse with her stomach and face a bloody mess. Thick, cloying crimson running down her armor and pooling beneath her, apparently the metal armor she wore was little protection again Aura. He shook his head and leapt over to where the rest of the group had gathered. When they arrived, Iris and Cilan were doing what they could for Dawn, a cloth had been wet in what was left of the nearby stream and placed onto her forehead.

Gently laying Ash down, Riley looked over the prone form of the bluenette and winced at the sight of her mangled legs. "Damn... Well at least we know what triggered Ash's rage..." Sighing he knelt down next to her, placing his arms onto the part of her legs that were still intact, "I'll do what I can for her, although she's not an Aura user, so the process may be futile." His hands began to glow blue as he channeled his powers into repairing the massive damage done by the falling rock.

Unseen by the group, the masked man had returned. He was casually sitting atop the rocky outcrop he'd originally hid behind and glanced down at the battered form of the Knight of Shadows. "What a pity... It seems he's stronger than we thought... no matter." Beneath the mask he grinned. "I'd expect nothing less... from the Nidaime Great Guardian." Sliding down the rocky surface on his feet to land next to the bloody figure, he crouched next to her and tsked, causing her to shift her eyes groggily at him. "Well well... you certainly didn't last long. A shame really... but I have no further use for you." Pulling out a regular Pokeball from within the sleeve of his cloak he opened it up, releasing the most powerful looking Charizard that Jesse had ever laid eyes upon. She eyed it fearfully, unsure as to why it had been called out. "Flamethrower." The man commanded without emotion. Charizard roared and let forth a super-heated torrent of flames that instantly engulfed the Knights body. Had her mouth not been beaten in so badly, she'd of screamed. Within seconds there was nothing but ash, even the black Pokeballs had been disintegrated along with their contents, and Charizard was promptly returned once the task was finished.

Leaping up onto the outcrop, his cloak rustling as he did, he took one final look at Ash's unconscious form, then took off down the passageway once again, disappearing into the shadows.

Meanwhile Riley was gritting his teeth as beads of sweat dropped down off his forehead. The healing he'd managed on Dawn's legs was minimal, and he was at his limits. She had been murmuring and shaking since he'd began, clearly in pain despite her unconsciousness.

"Hang in there Dawn, you're doing just fine." Iris spoke to her prone form as Riley worked.

Cilan was off gathering as much clear water from the base of the stream as he could, dampening her head cloth at the same time.

Nearby Ash stirred, slowly opening his eyes to a blurry vision of the caverns roof. Slowly he sat up and groggily placed a hand over one eye, "Auuuugh, my head... what... what happened?" His eyes felt like they were going to explode and when he removed his hand, streams of blood were running down his cheeks. "My eyes?! What?!"

"You've overused your Aura, albeit unintentionally." Riley said from beside him, "When it reaches a certain level it blazes through your eyes, giving you exceptional sight and allowing you to pinpoint even the slightest of movements even at extreme speeds, or through vision impairing obstacles, such as fog or water." Still focusing on his task, he continued to speak with his back turned to the young Guardian, "However, use it at the intensity you just did with little to no training in Aura control at that level, will severely damage your eyes, and should you continue to do so recklessly, you will eventually lose your sight."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried out running over to Ash and nuzzling his arm.

"Hey buddy! I'm glad to see your back with us!"

"Chaaaa!" The small Pokemon cooed as he was affectionately rubbed.

Turning to face Riley, Ash's eyes darted to Dawn's figure lying unconscious on the ground before him. "Dawn!" He scrambled over and stopped beside the Guardian who was till trying to heal the damage done. "Dawn! Wake up!"

"She can't hear you, she's fallen unconscious due to blood loss and pain. Right now I'm doing my best to staunch the damage and repair what I can." He explained through clenched teeth.

Vaguely Ash remembered the boulder crushing her legs, and then himself flinging it away, yet everything that happened after that was fuzzy... "Here... let me help." Placing his hands over Riley's he poured his immense Aura through and magnified the healing procedure a thousand fold.

Feeling such a surge a power wash through him, Riley nearly lost his focus and disrupted his technique, but quickly steadied himself and poured everything he was given into it. Looking over he could see Ash's blood stained yet determined face and couldn't help but smile slightly. '_He really _is _something else'_.

As the energies poured into her, Dawn's legs began to mend and take the shape they once held, although her knee-high socks and boots were not so lucky. As they began to return to normality she gasped and drew in a large breath of air before slowly opening her eyes. "Dawn!" Ash was beaming as she awoke, overjoyed to have her back to consciousness.

"Hey," she rasped, looking at him with the ghost of a smile. "You don't look so good..."

Despite the situation, he chuckled. "Speak for yourself..." A small trickle of water mixed with the blood on his face as he locked gazes with her. "I'm so glad you're ok... I thought I might have lost you..."

"I guess your durability is rubbing off on me..." she croaked, still smiling as best she could.

Even though she was back at consciousness, Riley continued his work, not letting up until the damage was truly fixed. Any internal injuries or bleeding could be disastrous if left untreated. After a few more minutes and finally certain that everyone was fixed up, he cut off his flow of Aura and sat back panting slightly, mopping his brow with his sleeve. "That ought to do it..."

Breathing a little easier, Dawn sat up and winced, still feeling a twang of pain from the recent damage. Ash immediately moved to support her but she waved him off. "I'm fine, really."

"Well that was an awfully quick recovery!" Cilan exclaimed with a smile as he sat down and handed the bluenette a bottle of freshly gathered mineral water. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." She groaned and took a swag of the bottles contents.

Iris chuckled at the response, "Well it's not everyday that you have your legs completely destroyed and then reconstructed within the same hour."

"I'm just glad your safe, I've never felt anything like what I did when I saw you like that..." Ash said, moisture still ringing the bottom half of his eyes as he moved into a hug.

"Ash..." Dawn breathed against his neck, returning the gesture.

As the couple embraced Riley stood and dusted himself off. Nodding to Lucario who looked no worse for wear, they both took off to take care of the Knight of Shadows, who was still barely alive at the other end of the cavern. However when they arrived all that greeted their gaze was a scorched patch of rock and a suspicious pile of ash.

Riley knelt and poked the substance with his index finger, then brought it up to his nose and took a good sniff before rubbing it between his finger and thumb and discarding it.

Curious Lucario looked at the scene before them, "_What happened the to body, Master?_"

Tipping his hat slightly, the Guardian furrowed his brow, "Well... by the looks of things, I'd say someone destroyed the corpse to remove any evidence. That, or she did it to herself. We may never know."

"_Disturbing news... If someone did burn the corpse, then who? We were the only ones here, and even during the battle my Aura didn't pick up any other life around us for several miles, Master._"

"That I don't know," Riley mused before stepping over the ash and looking behind the rock to the passageway beyond. He swore, berating himself for not noticing sooner. "But whoever it was can mask their presence... even to us... I wouldn't like to think who would have that kind of power and be in league with these people..." He said motioning to the pile of ash on the floor.

Lucario frowned at that, not liking the sound of it one bit.

"We should go, they might return and we are in no shape to fight." Riley added, nodding back to the bruised group.

Nodding the Aura Pokemon joined his master as they leapt back across the numerous boulders now littering the floor of the ancient Unova landmark, eager to be gone from here, before their mystery visitor returned...

* * *

**Next - Chapter 25: Reacquaintances  
**

**The next chapter will probably be out after X and Y have been launched, and as such I'll add my FC so if anyone wants to battle me then you can do so. I'm super pumped for the new games and anime, so you can expect to see me online a lot. Only a week away until their out!**

**Until next time Pearlshippers - Peace out!**


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